So if I survive, then i'll see you tomorrow
by Sleepycreator
Summary: When the walls came crashing down, and Litchfield was torn apart, what fate awaits the terrified band of misfits hiding in the pool? Picks up right where season 5 dropped us. (Vauseman)
1. Chapter 1

**hey everyone! Kris here!**

 **back at it again! round two! the feedback on my first oitnb fic was amazing, so I decided to go for another one. This has been rolling around in my drafts since season 5 ended, (thank writers block) but luckily I was able to finish chapter one up. Not sure how frequent the updates will be, but I hope you guys can bear with me! all feedback and support is greatly appreciated!**

 **awaaaaaaay we go!**

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As they stood together, hand in hand, awaiting the inevitable, Piper felt her eyes well up with tears. She was going to be married to the love of her life.

If she survived this, first. She gave Alex's hand a tight squeeze and watched as everyone in their small group of misfits held to one another, the anticipation and fear in the air so thick you could cut it with a knife.

She began to feel angry at herself, frustrated. Alex had been right about her trying to always have a cause, always be finding something to throw her heart behind. She realized that if now was her last moment on earth, it wasn't fair. She had never imagined the riot could end in this way. Negotiations were supposed to be taking place, the governor would get tired and give into their demands, and everyone would get to walk away with amnesty and their lives.

Now? She wasn't sure.

She had been so caught up in finding things to do, looking for some kind of ridiculous purpose, a way to be involved, that she now faced the fact that she may never see Alex or her friends ever again. The only memories she had to leave this earth with were burnt cheetos and the searing image of a monster breaking her fiancee's arm while she sat and watched, helpless. Powerless to stop the mess the minute it began, because she was Piper. Selfish, clueless Piper, who in trying to make up for being so scared to do anything her whole life, isolated everyone she loved. The noises outside began to get louder. Inmates screaming, pounding boot steps.

She began to choke up now, a sob escaping her. Despite what she had said to her partner about not having regret for all she had done during the riot, she was sorry. Alex looked at her sadly, nudging her arm and squeezing her hand tightly in response. She shut her eyes for a second, letting out a deep sigh, and turning her gaze forward towards the entrance of the pool. At least they would go together. For years she feared her lover's demise at the hands of Kubra, or another inmate ready to start trouble. She'd hear about it from guards as she was whisked away to a prison hospital, perishing alone. This was bittersweet. If her brain wasn't drowning in images of her own sick demise, she could imagine a book ending this way. True love dies together, it always seems.

Suddenly, an explosion caused all of them to jump in surprise, and tense up. Smoke began to slowly pour into the empty pool, surrounding them, threatening to choke each and every person standing their ground. Red began to curse under her breath in Russian, her eyes huge. Suzanne started shaking her head, asking Cindy fearful questions, who began to shush her. There wasn't anything that could be done to reassure her now. The forces coming for them didn't care about mental health, or broken arms, or fears, or surrender. They were out for blood.

"I-I l-love you, Al-Alex…." Piper sobbed, her hand on the taller woman's in a vice grip. She couldn't make up for all the time she had wasted before, but perhaps she could make her aware of how much she cared now. How happy she was that her life had been consumed by so much of the raven haired force of nature. If she could go back ten years, like she'd asked before everything got crazy, she would go for another spin. Another chance to be picked on in the bar. Another chance to stay, to let Alex cry into her arms, to hold her hand during her mother's funeral rather than making a hasty retreat. There was so much she had yet to make right. Her chance was gone. Alex kissed her head, tears running down her face to match.

"Love you too, Pipes…." Nicky moved in closer to them.

"Even when we're about to die, you two are still way too...gay…" she whispered, closing her eyes tightly. She looked over at Red. "I love you, Ma…." Red's eyes watered. This shocked Piper. Red crying meant it was going to be bad.

Everything happened so suddenly.

Alex let out a scream as a pepper bullet grazed her right shoulder, surely taking chunks of flesh with it, and she collapsed to the ground, landing on her already broken arm. She cried out, and Piper screamed, trying to rush to her aid. The group broke their chain quickly, scattering.

Officers stormed them in seconds.

Suzanne ran fearfully towards the corner of the pool, feebly trying to find safety as an armed guard chased her down, slamming her into the wall, and macing her eyes. She began yelling out for her mom, crying loudly and apologizing as others tried to restrain her.

"I'VE BEEN GOOD! I TOOK MY MEDICINE MOMMY!" she begged, and continued to writhe in pain as they nearly strangled her in an attempt to cuff her. "MAKE THEM STOP IT!"

The rest of the group was beginning to get taken down in a similar fashion. Officers began to beat on a running Nicky as Red screamed and ordered them to get off of her. Alex was in the midst of crawling for cover when she started getting roughly dragged away, and Piper charged for her, determination in her gaze. They'd hurt her wife, alright... Over her dead body.

"Piper, DON'T!" Alex snapped, but it was too late. Attention was brought to her in seconds, and the blonde was slammed against an electrified shield. She convulsed and twitched for awhile before she fell to the ground, smoking. Alex gazed at her limp body in horror, but could do nothing as she was hoisted above a guard's shoulder, and carried away.

Frieda was wrestling with two officers who were trying to get the gun from her hands, and the utility belt from her waist before a third officer seemed to materialize from nowhere, and knocked her out cold with a nightstick. The gun fell from her hands, and was taken by the guards. Their last line of defense had been shattered. After further scuffles, cries of pain, and a fair cloud of mace and tear gas, the leading officer clicked on his radio.

"The pool has been secured." he looked over at Piper's limp body, Alex's arm that had already begun to swell in her attempts to reach out toward her, and Frieda's bleeding head. He simply shrugged. Nicky lay almost lifeless on the other side of the room, her face so bruised and bloodied that it was unrecognizable. A mass of red with lidded, pained filled eyes. Suzanne was sobbing, her eyes red and shut, rocking back and forth and begging for mercy. Red was being lifted into the arms of two guards, the shock and pain causing her to pass out.

Cindy leaned heavily against the side of the pool, coughing heavily as tear gas made it hard for her to breathe. A few seconds later, and she collapsed to the ground with a thud. Gloria was slowly trying to come to her senses after being shocked by another shield, and was dragged to her feet to be handcuffed. Blood trickled down the side of her head. She hadn't gotten off easy, either. Flores weakly tried to spit in the direction of a guard before getting thrown almost six feet across the floor, slamming into the side of the pool with a yell of pain. She fell silent, her head rolling to the side. Gloria watched with eyes wide, beginning to cry.

"So far no casualties to be reported… updates will be provided as we begin to evacuate."

Slowly but surely, every inmate was chained up tightly, and the ones who were too weak to walk, too hysterical, or too beaten to move were carried or dragged.

Alex slowly began to come to her senses as she was moved through the walls of the prison, her jaw dropping as she caught sight of Piscatella's limp body. The once powerful, looming, terrifying villain of a man was now reduced to a pale and motionless lump on the floor. The pepper bullet still stained the spot between his eyes, and she swallowed the bile that was slowly creeping up her throat. She winced as her arm throbbed with pain, the spot where the bullet had grazed her still gushing blood. There was no doubt in her mind that it had taken a sizeable chunk out of it. How she was still conscious at the moment was beyond her knowledge. Adrenaline is a hell of a drug.

After what felt like years, they slowly were taken out of the front doors of the prison. Inmates still on the lawn looked over in fear and curiosity combined. Nicky suddenly began squirming in the arms of the officers, beginning to dry heave. Out of disgust, they quickly dropped her, and she rolled to the side, throwing up. Her puke was chunky, and red. Blood. The lead officer groaned, and looked at the group angrily. Internal bleeding meant possible casualties, which meant way too much paperwork.

"Split them. Take the bad ones to the hospital, now. The others get onto the buses."

Piper slowly opened her eyes, finally coming to. She looked up at Alex a few feet away, and began to panic.

"A-Al?" she whimpered, reaching out. Alex looked back at her sadly as she began being shuffled towards an awaiting medical unit.

"P-Pipes… I'm sorry…" she reached back, and Piper began to struggle and cry out, fighting against the officers, who were not in the mood.

"Wh-what!? Where are you taking them!?" she tried to break away, beginning to have a near panic attack. "I go where she goes!"

"I know you aren't testing your fucking limits with me right now!" a guard yelled before knocking her backwards, and quickly spraying her with mace. Piper screamed in agony, dropping to her knees as Alex watched, unable to intervene.

Nicky was lifted from the ground, and brought off towards the same medical unit as Alex was. Alex soon lost sight of her screaming partner, and turned her eyes forward. Her shoulders were shaking, and everything felt as if it was going in slow motion. She cast a gaze toward her best friend, who looked as if she was hanging on by a thread. How the hell had they ended up in this mess?

Inmates on the lawn began hurling insults and nasty comments toward the riot team when the scene with Chapman had unfolded. It was true that Piper wasn't exactly Litchfield's favorite, but an attack on one was an attack on all. The gross cruelty wasn't missed by the media, or Caputo, either.

"What in the hell happened in that pool!?" he yelled, getting right up in the face of the officer who had just maced Piper. "These women didn't put up a fight. You know they didn't, and I know they didn't."

"You weren't there." the officer growled, shoving him back. "Did you miss the part where this one tried to attack just now?" he pointed toward the sobbing blonde, and Caputo narrowed his eyes, fists clenched.

"Attack? She's scared! She's a hundred and thirty pounds soaking wet! You mean to tell me you feel threatened enough to do what you just did?" he knelt down, running a hand over Piper's back. She flinched, moaning in pain.

"S-stop… I c-cant see…."

"Chapman." he murmured. "It's mister Caputo…. We're gonna get you some medical attention."

"A little late." Taystee snapped, her eyes glaring daggers at the warden. Her vision was blurring from how many times she had been hit in the head. "You aint doin shit for us no more… if you was, we wouldnt be like this…"

"All you had to do was say yes, Jefferson." Caputo held her gaze, unwavering. "You know I didn't want this. You know I care."

Taystee turned her eyes down, ignoring the man further. He shook his head, getting up, and walking off. He soon returned with liquid from the medical unit. He slipped an arm around Piper's middle, helping her to sit up. He poured the solution onto her face, and rubbed her back as she doubled over, blinking and trying to stop crying.

"There you go… easy…" he pulled her to her feet, helping her to stand. "Now what? Are you gonna beat them some more?"

"Negative." the officer replied, looking bored. "They get shipped off to different prisons. Whatever happens next isn't my problem. Litchfield is no more. That I know for sure."

Caputo stopped asking questions, and watched as the girls were split into two. Red, Gloria, Flores, and Frieda went one way. Taystee, Cindy, Suzanne, and Piper went the other way. Piper threw a scared glance back at Red, who watched her go sadly. The other inmates on the lawn were brought to their feet, and the sorting continued. When the night was almost gone, the final bus roared to life, and Piper pressed her head against the glass, watching the familiar prison she had known all her time here disappear as they started the journey onward. Her eyes still stung horribly, and she was too exhausted to try to keep them open.

Her heart ached, both for the pain she was in, and the worry she felt for Alex, for Red, for Nicky. Her family. Taystee lay her head against Piper's shoulder, having been placed beside her, and the blonde woman simply allowed it, too weak to protest or ask any sort of questions.

"Where they takin us?" Taystee whispered, looking over at Cindy, who was rubbing a still crying Suzanne's arm.

"Wherever it is, it ain't gonna be the fuckin four seasons like we had…" she answered. Piper let out a snort at this, and just as quickly as she responded, slumped against the window. She was out cold the rest of the way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Kris here! The support from the first chapter of this has been overwhelming! I appreciate all of your kind words and praise! Just to let ya'll know, I got some grand plans for our girls... and by grand plans? I mean disaster :) enjoy!**

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The only thing that kept Alex from believing this was all a sick nightmare she couldn't wake up from was the steady beep of Nicky's heart monitor beside her. At first, it had lulled her to sleep upon her arrival, but now? It was keeping her from settling down. To say she was on edge was an understatement. Nicky was in bad shape. She had overheard the nurses talking. Cracked ribs, a punctured lung, not to mention her face was swollen and mangled with cuts and bruises. Alex forced down the tears she was holding back at the sight of her. This was all too much.

"I'm sorry, Nichols…" she whispered, reaching around the various tubes and wires protruding from the wild haired woman to stroke her hand. "This shouldn't have happened. Not to you."

"I agree." a familiar voice made her jump. Caputo had poked his head in to see what was going on.

It occurred to her now that they hadn't left the Litchfield area yet. They were at a local hospital, and she understood why. Nicky was far too severe to be airlifted or thrown into the back of a bus to be carted somewhere more secure. She tried to lift her glasses onto the top of her head, but her wrist snapped back painfully. Of course they had handcuffed her to the bed. She was a felon. Nicky was barely holding on, so she was free. She got a "get out of shitty treatment for the day" card. Alex shook her head.

"What are you doing here?" it came out flat, uninterested. The man before her was not a face she was looking forward to seeing at all. Swap him for Piper? Then yeah, maybe.

"I came to see how everyone was doing…" he lingered in the doorway, eyes pleading. "May I?"

"I mean it's not my room, so yeah? I guess."

The warden slowly stepped inside, and pulled up a chair in between Alex and Nicky's bed. He gazed at the second woman sadly.

"I never wanted this to happen. I tried to tell them to back off. You have to believe that."

"Why do you care so much about what I think?" Alex asked, a laugh ghosting her face. "We're inmates. You're a warden. Why are you even visiting?"

"I want to make things right… I want to be better, for all of you. This is my responsibility. If id done the right thing in the first place, things wouldnt have gotten so out of hand."

"It wasn't anyone's fault but the system's." Alex replied, gazing at her arm that was wrapped in a cast, and bandaged. She had needed stitches for the pepper bullet wound, and they stung. "He was a stupid kid who got in way over his head. He made a mistake. A really, really fucked up mistake."

"And I threw gasoline and about six metric fucktons of dynamite on that mistake… then lit a match."

"Pretty much."

Caputo looked at her, raising an eyebrow, before shaking his head a bit. He turned his attention back to Nicky.

"How is she?"

"Oh, despite fighting to stay alive? Peachy. I didn't know she was that much of a threat. I didn't know Piper was either."

"They weren't… she's not… but those men…"

"Those _animals_ …"

"Right. I did all I could." he tried, and rose to his feet. Alex was about to let him leave, but she suddenly remembered something, and called out.

"Mister Caputo." he stopped, looking back. "Where is Piper?" He sighed.

"I have no idea… everyone is being sent to prisons across the state… Chicago, Long Island, Virginia, I can't tell you anything right now. Last I saw her, I was rinsing mace out of her eyes. They threw her on a bus, and she's gone."

"Litchfield is done, isn't it?"

"For now." he answered. "I have to fight. Fight for my job back, fight to get you ladies settled in the right places. I'm sorry Vause… I know you and Chapman had something, but I can't say for sure when or if you'll ever see her again."

Alex felt her stomach sink. She didn't know why she had assumed getting Piper back would be that easy. She held the warden's gaze for a few before dropping her eyes.

"It's fine, boss. Good luck fighting or whatever."

"If I get news about her, you'll be the first to hear. You and Nichols aren't going far."

"Where?"

"You two are going to be heading down the hill to max. All the injured inmates are going there. There are a decent amount of you, but they have the room."

"Thanks." she answered, and he was gone. She was fortunate she didn't have to leave the state. A plan began to form in her head. Get Carol Chapman's number, or Cal's… get them to find Piper… bring Piper to her. Maybe it still could be easy… she hoped.

Nurses soon entered the room, tending to Nicky gently. Alex watched like a hawk, feeling devastated to see her in the state she was in. She hoped everything would be okay. She didn't have it in her to tell Red that her daughter had been lost. She didn't have it in her to have a sobbing morello all over her, begging for it not to be true.

"You better come out of this shit, Nichols…" she whispered, turning her attention toward the windows instead. The sun was beginning to set again. She wondered if Piper was seeing it too, miles and miles away… Unsure… Unsafe. "I have too many people who really love you…" she finished, letting her eyes fall closed as she let out a sigh. It was going to be a long night.

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The entire bus ride was a pain filled, exhausting blur. Her eyes had finally stopped stinging, but her other injuries had begun to ache as the adrenaline from the situation they had just faced wore off. Her arms were covered in burns from the shield she'd been pressed against for far too long, and she was pretty sure part of her shoulder had been fractured in being tossed around the pool by guards like a rag doll. The bus came to an abrupt stop, and she lurched forward, smacking her face into the back of the seat, and simply staying there, slumped against the chain-link.

"Jesus, Chapman!" Taystee exclaimed, reaching out and grabbing her. She hissed in pain at her shoulder being jostled, and her head lolled to one side.

"Man, she don't look good…" Cindy said, shaking her head. Suzanne poked her head up, concern on her face.

"What the fuck are we supposed to do?" Taystee answered, her eyes full of sadness. "We can't ignore her…."

"Like hell we can't! We gotta start lookin out of us. Our own." Cindy replied, sitting back as the guards began to shout orders and unload the prisoners ahead of them. "Last I checked, she aint brown."

"Oh don't start that shit… she helped us… she was on our side."

"She was just doin that because white people get bored and wanna get their shit up in everything. They don't got enough drama or issues, so they take ours. She ain't our problem no more! Dead weight!"

Taystee looked at Piper with a worried gaze. As much as she hated to admit it, Cindy was right. In a maximum security prison, inmates separated themselves by race. It wouldnt be as lenient as litchfield, and for the sake of her family, she didn't want to draw any more attention to themselves than they needed to. Suzanne would be a big enough issue. A comatose Piper clinging to their legs like a baby? Even worse.

"I'm sorry, man…" Taystee whispered, gently leaning her back against the seat, and rising to her feet when the guards came to collect her. Once she left the bus and was marched toward the inside, the still saw Piper's limp frame against the frosted glass.

"We gotta do what's right for us now." Cindy spoke to her softly as they walked on, chains weighing them down, and rattling. "All we got is eachother."

"You right…. I know…." Taystee admitted, casting her eyes downward. She hoped Piper made it out alright, despite everything. The blonde woman was a lot of things, but she didn't deserve to die, or be picked off for being weak... No one did.

"Get up inmate." A few minutes passed, and soon a guard growled down at Piper, who cast tired eyes up to him. She was too weak to fight back, or even explain herself. She simply stared up at him, like a lost child. "I said get up!" he yelled, slamming his nightstick against the glass a few inches above Piper's head.

Piper jumped, and quickly tried to get herself to stand, not wanting to be beat again. As fast as she rose, she fell, her legs buckling underneath her. The guard groaned, and roughly grabbed her injured shoulder, beginning to drag her off the bus by force.

The small woman cried out in agony, begging to be handled more gently, but her pleas were ignored as she was forced through booking with the rest of the litchfield inmates. Everything hurt, everything was too much, and all she wanted was to know that Alex wasn't gone. As the sun began to set on the outside, she started to lose all hope. Taystee, Cindy, and Suzanne wouldn't even look at her, and she knew she was alone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow. All I can say is wow. You guys are the best! with every amazing review I see, it drives me forward to create the next chapter! you all are the best supporters I could have asked for! I hope you're enjoying the ride so far, and believe me, it's only gonna kick up some more ;)**

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When Alex opened her eyes, the first thing she became aware of was the fact that Nicky's heart monitor wasn't beeping into her ear anymore. She began to panic.

"N-Nichols?" Alex asked, looking around, her eyes wide. Sure enough, the bed that held her best friend was missing. All the various tubes had been disconnected, and the spot where she was once occupied was empty. It hit her like a ton of bricks… she was alone. She began to think the worst. Had Nicky not made it through the night? Was this it?

"She's in surgery right now." Alex's doctor murmured as he strode in to check her vitals. "As for you, you won't have to worry about her whereabouts any longer. You're headed out."

"What?" she asked, shocked. "My arm isn't even any better yet… do you know what's gonna happen if I get tossed into max looking weak? You can't do this…"

"Relax, Vause." he began scribbling various things onto his clipboard. "You won't be returning to gen pop for quite some time. For now, you'll just be stuck in medical. You aren't too severe, and there's no reason to keep you in this hospital. You're stable enough for the staff to take good care of you there."

Alex fell silent, her eyes cast downward.

"I have to know that she's gonna be okay."

The doctor looked at her, and shrugged. "She's holding steady for now… for someone with such a weak heart, she's making promising progress… I think it's safe to say she'll come out of this, but anything could happen." he shut Alex's file with a snap. "You transport tonight. Try to rest and eat before then." he left the room quickly, and she was alone with her pounding heart and terrified thoughts.

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Booking and processing had been a nightmare. Her pleas to be handled gently were ignored by every single person who had touched her, and after being photographed, and fingerprinted, she was finally whisked away to medical. They had checked her over, given her a sling, some aspirin, and sent her on her way. With the sling, she was weak, and inmates had already begun to mess with her. She laughed to herself as she was shoved out of the way of a woman with a nasty comment. Was this purgatory before hell? How many sins was she paying for in this way?

" _You have nothing to worry about."_ Filthy liar, she thought. Piper the filthy liar who dragged her wife back into prison and nearly got her killed. Piper the narcissist who cheated and ruined lives and drove everyone away. Piper who caused anyone who chose her to end up worse than they started. She hoped Alex was alive. If she wasn't, Piper wished for death, too.

She had finally made it to her cell, and collapsed onto her bed with a grunt. She curled up tightly, and tried to look as small as possible. The universe had given her a small blessing, and her roommates had been pretty normal. It seemed everyone wanted to keep to themselves, and she was grateful for that.

A few days passed, and Piper was slowly starting to feel strong enough again. She quickly abandoned her sling for all the trouble it caused, and decided she'd deal with the pressure and pain if it meant not having a target on her back. Taystee and the others still gave her a fair amount of distance, but she felt nothing. She didn't hold any remorse for herself. She had landed herself in this mess. She was Piper, and she was awful. She'd never get to tell Alex how sorry she was for everything.

One morning, she found herself in one of the rec rooms reading a magazine that had to be years old by now. She flipped through the pages absentmindedly, eyes heavy. Every day she lived now felt like a chore. They hadn't given her access to a call list, or any way to contact her family. Her privileges had been revoked until further notice. All the Litchfield crowd had been dished out the same cards. She rested her chin on her hand, and let out a long sigh.

"Not much to read in here, ey?" The voice that spoke directly to her chilled her to the bone. It had been days since anyone even cast a glance her way, but she shut her eyes tight, not wanting it to be true. She grabbed the table tightly, and tensed, fearing the worst. "Aw, come on now… can't look at an old flame?"

Piper slowly raked her eyes up the slim, tattooed frame in front of her, and blue eyes met brown. Stella stared down at her with a mix of emotions. Worry, anger, amusement? The universe sure had a fucked up sense of humor, that was certain.

"How are you even…. What… where?" Piper asked all at once. Her head hurt, her eyes stung, and all she wanted was to be put out of her misery. This was all too much. Any other ghosts from her power trip want to play? Step up.

"Transferred. I wasn't playing by the rules down the hill, still dealing. So now I'm here. Long island."

"Seriously?" Piper asked, her eyes wide. They were far from home.

"No shitting." Stella answered. Piper suddenly tensed, and pushed herself back. She realized that her situation looked bleak, and Stella's gaze made her feel uneasy.

"I got you in here, and there's no guards around…" she scrambled for the nearest defense mechanism, and stole a pen from the table. She cracked it in half with one swift motion, ink spraying all over her jumpsuit. She raised the cracked plastic at Stella, eyes wild. "I'm not going down without a fight…"

The woman before her was silent for a few seconds before she burst into laughter. Piper tilted her head, feeling anger and fear rise up in her chest. What was she playing at?

"Jesus, Chapman…" she said with a smirk. "I heard the riot was bad, but they really did a number on you, didn't they?"

"I can't trust you… I ruined your life."

"It's already ruined. Look where I'm at. I knew what could happen if I stole from you. I just didn't think you'd retaliate." Stella replied. Her eye caught the window burned into Piper's arm. "And from what I can see, you payed for what you did." Piper quickly pulled her sleeve down, and cast her eyes back to the table.

"I don't want you near me."

"Fair enough, but is being all by yourself with a bad shoulder a really good strategy for you at the moment?"

"I'm getting married." Piper murmured, and felt her heart ache as she recalled how she used that phrase to send Alex away so long ago.

 _I pick him. I pick Larry._

 _You may never come to me again._

Selfish, stupid Piper.

"Oh yeah?" Stella quirked an eyebrow, pulling up a chair, and making herself comfortable. This annoyed Piper. "Didn't know stretch had it in her. She make you a ring out of a pop can?"

"I asked her, and no, she didnt, so go fuck yourself."

"You need to relax." Stella answered, looking bored. "I can promise you I don't want to take a spin on your ferris wheel again. You're nuts. I give Vause credit." her words stung, but Piper knew she had a point.

"Yeah… me too."

A few seconds passed.

"Was it bad?"

"What?"

"The riot… I've heard stories, but you were there. Was it bad?"

"Guards died. Inmates almost died too. Nicky got hurt… I don't know if she made it." Piper confessed, choking back a sob. She cared about the short woman so much, and seeing her being beaten within an inch of her life changed her.

"Nicky? Oh fuck…" Stella answered, her eyes beginning to water. Despite how things had ended, she really did feel a genuine connection to the ex-junkie. She missed her.

"Yeah…" Piper whispered. "And Alex… I haven't seen her since the night we got transported. Her arm was broken, and they were being too rough with her… and I can't take this…" she buried her face in her hands, beginning to cry. She didn't care how Stella saw her. She was losing it.

A hand on her good shoulder brought her back a bit. Stella squeezed it gently, looking into her eyes.

"Chapman. Breathe. Don't go off on me, now."

"What am I supposed to do?" she started laughing, feeling like she was going to get hysterical any minute. "Everyone hates me, or is gonna die! I should die too!"

"Sh!" Stella hissed, grabbing her face. She wiped her tears away quickly, shaking her head. "You cannot talk like that in here, do you understand me?" Piper gazed at her, looking scared. "Psych is a death sentence. Do not lose your shit just yet."

"Okay." Piper sobbed back, and Stella let her face go. "I don't trust you… why don't you want me dead? Why aren't you trying to hurt me?"

"I don't need anymore drama. I just need to do my time and go." she sounded so much like Alex it hurt. "No more lying, no more cheating… no more stealing Vause's girlfriends." she flashed a smile. Piper shook her head, snorting a bit. "You don't have to want to be around me, but there's safety in numbers… truce? For now?" she reached out a hand.

Piper gazed at it for a long time. As much as she hated this, maybe Stella was right. Being singled out was a bad idea, and perhaps this was a chance to fix her mistakes. She was with Alex, devoted to Alex, but she owed Stella an apology. A piper that wasn't crazy and controlling and out for blood.

"Only if you promise that we are just this. No affairs, no trying to get with me. My wife will kill you for sure."

"Cross my heart." Stella said with a wink. Piper finally caved, and gave her hand a firm shake.

"Truce."

Stella nodded, and took out a deck of cards from her jumpsuit.

"Deal me in. We have an hour till dinner and I'm bored." Piper shuffled the cards, and began to pass them along.

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 **Bam! stella's back! I know this may cause a shit ton of you to ditch this fic, but its all in the name of plot, I promise... trust her or no? choice is yours ;) I promise my Stella wont be as vauge and annoying as the canon stella lmao**


	4. Chapter 4

**woooo! double upload! sorry guys, im just hype, and the gears are turning! this story is gonna be a good one, I can feel it. Reviews are so appreciated!**

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Settling in for Alex was easier than she thought. Weeks had passed, and slowly but surely she was released from medical and into gen pop once more. She got a few stares, some good, some bad, but mostly she was left alone. She was grateful for that. The last thing she needed was another injury, or added time on her sentence for more drama.

Her heart ached for Piper. Though she was often sarcastic and cold with the blonde, she felt immense anxiety and pain about their separation. She hoped wherever her wife was, she was alright. Today was the day that she finally got her privileges returned to her, and after lunch, she was determined to figure out where her love was, and further than that, get them back to the same prison. Carol had connections. Rich, WASPy connections that could get them whatever they needed.

She slowly approached the guard stationed at the call center, and cleared her throat. He looked up, annoyed.

"Vause." she stated. "Alex Vause? I wanted to add someone onto my call list." The guard narrowed his eyes, and looked down at the sheet before him. He shook his head.

"Nice try. You already added someone today. You want someone else? Tomorrow." Alex quirked a brow.

"What? I just got my privileges back… right now is the first time I was here." the guard stood up, angry.

"Don't push your luck. I don't like liars. Either get in there, call the person on the list, or leave. Now." Alex was confused, but curious. She wondered if Piper's mom really had gone and got on her list without her help. That meant Piper was okay, and looking for her. Her heart soared.

"Okay, i'm sorry. I'll go in." the guard nodded, and pointed to an empty phone. Alex made her way over, and looked at the small piece of paper handed to her. She slowly but surely dialed the number. The other party answered on the third ring.

"Hello?" Alex asked with hesitation. The silence hung in the air for a few seconds before a familiar voice growled into her ear.

"My little importer… all grown up and murdering people…." She nearly dropped the phone, her blood running cold, and her eyes filling with tears. It was hard to breathe. "Time's up, Alex. I know what you did." Kubra snarled, and she knew it was all over.

* * *

"So what made you give up your panty business?" Stella asked as her and Piper lounged together in the yard, reading a book. The brunette had kept her promise about staying friends, and for a few weeks, they spent most of their time together, learning each other's schedules, reading, just being there for one another.

"Well I mean… being branded was kind of a hint that I was going in the wrong direction, don't you think?" Piper answered, rolling her eyes. She felt annoyed these days, wondering where Alex was. Waiting for a call from her mother, anything. Tomorrow would be the day she got her phone rights back. She could finally attempt to find her wife again.

"Well yeah, but you could have retaliated, yknow? Got a bigger, badder gang… killed a bitch…" Piper snorted.

"My priority wasn't getting any badder after that. Alex was in danger. She was my concern. It took me long enough."

"Danger?"

"Someone tried to hurt her. I wasn't there like I should have been. She was scared, and in pain… I didn't believe her."

"And you found me."

"And I found you."

They stayed quiet for a little bit before Piper looked up at Stella. She could have sworn she saw something flash behind her brown eyes, but couldn't put a finger on it.

"Who tried to hurt her?" Stella pried, but Piper shook her head. Alex might have been free with her secrets, but the blonde was still desperate to protect her. "Just a nobody. They're gone now."

"Gone, gone?"

"Mhm."

"I have to go." Stella said suddenly, rising to her feet. "I left cigarettes in my room and bunk checks are in twenty."

"Okay." Piper answered, returning to her book, unaware of the smirk that crossed Stella's face as she left her alone.

* * *

"How did you get onto my call list? How did you know I was alive?" Alex asked, feeling like she was gonna suffocate. She wanted to scream for help and slam the phone back into the cradle. As if sensing this, Kubra began to laugh.

"Uh, uh, uh…. Scream for help, tell anyone about this? And she dies."

"W-who?"  
"Oh, you know who… congratulations on getting engaged by the way. It's a shame I can't send a fruit basket. Maybe one at Piper's funeral, for sure." Alex felt her world stop. How had he known about their engagement? How did he find her? Piper. Piper was halfway across the world for all she knew. She was in trouble, she was alone… she choked on a sob.

"Please… how did you get to me…."

"Really, Alex? Inmate abuse at Litchfield? You're a fucking youtube sensation!" She shook her head, shutting her eyes tight. She felt sick. "I know what you did to Aydin, you sick little fuck… I knew him going off the grid wasn't a coincidence." She heard a smile arise in his tone. "Im impressed, Vause… I didn't know you had it in you… if he wasn't one of my best men, I would have promoted you."

"I had no choice." she growled, holding the phone tight. "If he didn't work for you, he'd still be alive. I didn't want to do it. I wanted to turn myself in."

"Well it's a good thing you didn't, because now, you get to really pay for it." Alex wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Please. I'll deal for you, i'll import, I don't care… i'll be your slave for all your life… just don't touch Piper… she didn't name you… I did…"

"Oh, I know. And i'm grateful! Wonderful woman… a shame to kill her… she knows where her loyalties lie." his tone got dark. "It's you i'm worried about, Vause… you don't learn your lessons like you should… if you wanted this to be over, you should have laid down and died in that greenhouse like you were supposed to."

"I can fix it… please…"

"There's no fixing this." Kubra stated. "You cross me, you die. You of all people know that best… but since you just won't take the hint and just fucking… kick the bucket… I decided to make you suffer in all the worst ways before you do. I'm going to take away all of your happiness. By the time I do, you'll be begging me to go."

"Kubra…" Alex said, starting to sob once more. "Take me, okay? I'll die this time… send someone in… my life, not hers…"

"A little late for that…" Kubra said with a smile. "Piper doesn't have much longer anyway… I transferred a familiar face her way to do the deed… an old friend! She'll go with a smile."

Her world was falling apart.

"W-who?"

"Some fucking arm scratching junkie… covered in tattoos… real dykey looking bitch. Got ants in her pants just to get some dope. She'll do anything for a needle, and some cash. Easy arrangement really. I made sure her and Piper got along great."

"S-stella…" Piper was kind, and she was forgiving. Stella asking for a chance to be friends, learning her schedule, getting her alone, cutting her throat… her vision blurred.

"You know her too! A big happy family."

"Times almost up!" a guard yelled, tapping the walls. Alex held the phone tighter, breathing heavily.

"You don't have to do this… I'm begging you not to do this…"

"It's already done. I'll be seeing you soon, … until then, take good care…"

The line went dead, and she rushed from the call room, emptying the contents of her stomach into a nearby trash can.

* * *

"Mom… it's so good to hear your voice…"

"Likewise, Piper…. Oh darling, where are you?"

Piper had finally gotten use of the phone, and dialed her mom right away. She answered quickly, relief evident in her tone. She was so happy that Piper was okay.

"A prison on Long Island…" she described the details, and soon her mom pinpointed where she was. They discussed Piper's situation, and her attorney was added to the call list as well

"I'm afraid I can't visit… I'm sorry sweetheart, its simply too far."

"Mom, it's okay…" Piper reassured. "But listen, I need a big, big favor from you… please…" Carol agreed. "I need you to find out where Alex is… if she's okay…" she felt herself choking up. "I haven't talked to her in three weeks and they won't tell me anything… i'll give you her inmate ID… I need you to get me onto her call list, or you onto hers… I need to know if she's alive…"

"Okay darling… I'll try my best…"

"We're getting married, mom… she's gonna be my wife…" she couldn't stop the tears from falling now.

"Oh that's wonderful… congratulations…" Carol replied, feeling genuine happiness for her daughter. "I'll see what I can do… I won't let you down."

"I gave her a can of beans… like daddy did with the corn…"

"That makes me smile."

"I know it does."

They played catch up for a long time, and soon the guard were calling for time to be up. Piper sat in silence with her mom and a few seconds.

"I'm worried, mom…"

"I would be too… it'll be okay… this Alex seems like a fighter. Im sure you two will work something out."

"I want you there… at the wedding."

"Well of course… i'd love to meet the one causing all this fuss, all these years…" Piper laughed a little.

"I love you."

"I love you too. I'll speak to you as soon as I get this sorted out. Try to stay together in there."

"I'll do my best…" They said their goodbyes, and hung up. Piper left the call room with a little more hope than she started with, eyes brighter than they'd been in a long time. She quickly found Stella, and wrapped the woman in a hug, too excited to contain herself.

"Whoa, tiger… change your mind about us?"

"My mom is getting in touch with Alex…" Piper whispered, a tearful smile on her face. "I might get to talk to her… I get to know how she is… where she is…"

Stella watched her for a few seconds before Piper hugged her again, and she held the blonde tight, rubbing her back.

"I'm real happy for you, love." she replied, eyes cast down to the ground. "I told you it would work out…" she tightened her hold on Piper's jumpsuit, eyes narrowing.

* * *

 **Told you guys Stella was in here for a good reason! :p watch out, Pipes... you got something coming for you**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello all! Kris here, back from the dead! it's so nice to see you all again. I really apologize for running off for a spell, there. Ill be honest, life really isnt that great right now. Im in a bad place, and Im not feeling well, and everything is falling apart. The only constant in my life that keeps me down to earth is writing. So ill open my laptop, take a breath, and write. It makes me happy and gets me to stop thinking about the shitty stuff going on in my life right now. ive never felt this lost, but all your kind words and support, they mean a lot to me. Thank you guys for sending the reviews asking me to come back and finish this. Im gonna finish all these stories. I need to yank myself out of this spell. I need to keep going. You always have to keep going.**

 **I hope you all enjoy. I have plans for this, yet. I love you all very much. Keep reading! thank you for not giving up on me :)**

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Alex felt like her world was coming to an end. Her vision blurred once she stopped throwing up, and all she wanted to do was scream and cry out for help. This was all too much.

"On your feet, inmate!" a guard bellowed, giving her a rough shove away from the call center, and it hit her like a ton of bricks. She was a felon, in prison. She had no right to Piper, and even with concrete evidence, it was impossible to get anyone to believe her. Her wife would surely die.

She made the walk back from the visitation area with her head held low. She had no idea what to do. She debated taking her own life, but then Kubra could end up killing Piper anyway. If she had known the extent of his rage, she would have let herself get killed in the greenhouse long ago. She was so caught up in her own little world that she didn't see the red haired woman ahead, and fell right into her.

"Watch it!" a familiar voice cried, shoving her back. She yelped in surprise, and stumbled backwards, but another pair of arms caught her, steadying her. She began to struggle, trying to lash out. She'd be damned if she was going to die like this, at the hands of inmates before she even had the chance to warn Piper of her impending fate.

"Easy, stretch!" Frieda yelled, holding her tighter. Alex's eyes went wide as she looked back at her, and then looked up at Red, who had gone from having her arms crossed angrily to staring at her in disbelief.

"R-red?" Alex asked, and Red almost began to cry.

"Vause? What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" she answered, rushing forward, and hugging the short Russian woman close. Her hair looked like it had been done since the pool, and it was growing back nicely. It was fiery again, she had dyed it recently. Alex had such admiration for her… nothing could break that woman. Seeing her in the state piscatelle forced her into broke Alex's heart. She feared the small woman was done for.

Red returned the hold, letting out a long sigh. "Where did you come from?" Alex asked. "Have you seen Piper? What's going on?"

"One question at a time." Frieda spoke up. "First, we have no idea where anyone else is. Red and I spent some time in virginia before we got sent back up here. We caused quite a fuss and they took pity on us old folk." Alex stood up.

"Virgina? How far were they sending people out?"

Red stepped back, shaking her head.

"Long island, Chicago… all over. Piper and the rest of our family could be anywhere." for once, the usually powerful woman standing before her seemed defeated. "It's hopeless." Frieda bristled.

"It is not hopeless damnit!" she stood taller. "That's just what they want you to think. We can't lose ourselves in this madness. Not yet." she looked over at Alex. "Vause? You're with us. You stick to us like glue you understand?"

"Believe me, you won't have to tell me twice…" reality suddenly hit her like a bus, and she turned a scared gaze to Red. "We all need to talk… I have another secret…"

Red turned pale.

"Again? Jesus christ Vause… you get a taste for one and you just keep on going!?" Frieda smirked.

"Can't say I blame her. Like fine wine, it's better with every glass…"

"No, no, no, no!" Alex sputtered. "Not that kind. It's more of a huge fucking shitstorm that is gunning right for everything, and the walls have ears."

"Say no more. Come." Red murmured, grabbing her arm. Frieda followed, keeping watch. Before they knew it, they were sitting in what looked like an old laundry room. Two broken washing machines and dryers inside a closet. Frieda locked the door, and took a seat, leaning against it.

"Had to threaten a lot of young and stupid girls for this place… but no bugs here. Guards don't even know it's still here."

Red grabbed both of Alex's hands, and nodded. Alex began to cry immediately, and told them everything. She told them about Stella and Kubra, and the fate awaiting Piper. She told them about the call list, and all her fears. When she finished, Red shook her head.

"Son of a bitch…"

"I always knew that whole thing wasn't over." Frieda murmured. "You dont ruin somebody's life and get away with it."

"Yeah, I get that… but she doesn't deserve to die like this. Not by him." Alex answered. "It was my fuck up, my twisted life she got dragged into… it should have been me, that time in the green house…"

"Enough of that talk." Red snapped. "There is no more "it should have been, it could have been"... what's done is done." She moved in closer. "The justice system fails people like us… if all was well he would have been put away already, but he's killing prison inmates like pawns in a chess game… we need a plan, and a good one."

"What's the point?" Alex laughed, running a hand through her hair. "I have no contact with Piper. She could be dead already and this all could be for nothing! I can't fix this one… I can't save her…"

"I don't know much about this Kubra character, but I know he obviously wants to see you suffer." Freida began. "That being said, he wouldnt have killed Piper without kicking up a stink about it, leaving you pictures, telling you when the funeral was, the works."

"She's right." Red replied. "I know blondie hasn't made the right choices in the past but shes a smart woman. If something is going on with Stella, she'll sniff it out and hopefully blow her cover."

"Or try to handle it on her own like an idiot." Said Alex.

"Whatever happens…" Red broke in. "We have to be patient and think this through. He's a madman, and mad men think slow, and they let things simmer before they proceed."

"We don't have that kind of time! Piper is in her make amends phase right now, and I know that if Stella came up to her begging for a second chance and an apology, Piper would take her up on it right away." She look forward, her eyes distant. "They're gonna be pals again, and Stella is gonna know where she sleeps, her schedule… she's done for…"

"Not yet she's not. Come on, Vause… give her some credit. She was still fresh off the boat when she gave tucky a face sculpting…" Frieda said with a laugh.

"She's right. She's got fire, that one… besides, I have a few strings I might be able to pull, even in here. I could somehow get us in touch with Caputo, figure out what Prison she's in. Then, we warn her, make sure she's alright, and go from there."

"I wish I had your calm right now, Red… but it's hard."

"I know. I promise you we're going to be okay. I won't let my family get hurt any longer." She reached out, touching her arm gently. "How is it?"

"Still hurts… bad." Alex murmured. "I ditched my sling because of all these stupid bitches. I dont think it's healed right."

"Not at all." Frieda stood up, offering a hand. "Come on. I might have something that could help." She walked on with them, feeling a little less hopeless. Maybe her wife would live to see their wedding day after all.

* * *

Piper was pacing around her bunk, more excited than she'd been in a very long time. It had been a week since her mother had called, and promised she would begin the search for Alex's whereabouts. She was ready to call her soon, as soon as the phone center opened up for the day. Since the prison was full from the new arrivals, each housing unit had a phone schedule. Her block was about to be next.

Once she heard the announcement, she went running out of her bunk. She got stopped and shouted at on the way many times, but she eventually made it to the phones, and she dialed her mom's number right away. Her mom answered on the second ring.

"Piper? My goodness, how are you? It's been a whole week, I thought you'd call sooner!"

"Hi mom… I'm sorry. Things are a little more strict here and phone time is pretty scarce… tell me you have good news. Anything…"

"I do." Piper held her breath. "I did as much digging and calling as I could, but Alex is alive. She's okay."

The tears began to fall before she knew it. She let out a breathy laugh, and held the phone tight.

"I'm so happy… I knew it… she's a fighter… She's okay…" Piper wiped her eyes. "What else do you know?"

"Sadly that's all I do… since im not related, or on her list I cant call… or visit. She's at the prison right down the hill from where litchfield was…"

"Max? Why would she be in max?"

"That I don't know… I just asked where she was and they told me. She's in general population and I asked if I could visit. They're going to bring her into the office and request her permission to add me onto her call and visitation list soon and we have to go from there."

"They're lucky i'm not there or id drive a car through the booking area just to see her…" she held the phone tight. "But youre gonna see her! Tell her I love her and I'm okay and I miss her so much and-"

"Piper… honey relax… we don't know if I'm even going to be allowed to talk to her…"

"I know mom…" she replied, her voice breaking. She couldn't stop crying. "I wish I knew more… This is so scary…"

"I understand… But we're a step closer now, aren't we? That's something. I've been so worried about you. Are you eating? Sleeping?"

"Not at all…" Piper laughed. "But maybe I can stop generating pictures of her dead body in my head now, so there's that."

"Oh, Piper…" she whispered. "I wish I could visit…"

"I wish so too…" she sighed as the guards began shouting. "I have to go… if you find out anything else, please try to reach me right away…"

"I will sweetheart. Breathe. I love you."

Piper let out a breath, and nodded.

"I love you too." she hung up the phone.

* * *

 **We're getting closer! our girls will be together soon... or will they? ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**hey guys! I got a writing bug today! double upload! this chapter has much more action going on :)**

* * *

Alex had begun to feel a little bit better. Freida had given her some kind of pain cream she made herself, and readjusted her arm. It had hurt at first, but now she was beginning to feel her muscles relax and some of the pressure subside. Her mind was still spinning from the phone call. Kubra knew exactly where she was. He could have her killed overnight if he wanted, he could have her tortured, but all he wanted to do was get Piper. He truly knew how to make her suffer. Red's voice snapped her from her thoughts. After settling her in and catching up a bit, they had started to discuss a plan about dealing with the situation she was in.

"Vause? Vause. Stay with me, come on."

"Sorry…" she whispered. "Im just nervous."

"Kill someone, chop them up, and bury them once and all the time she's got the jitters…" Frieda sipped some coffee. "Ameture."

"Okay, can we please not bring that up in this meeting? I'm already about to mourn the death of my wife…"

"Nobody else is dying." Red said with exasperation. "Now, we really need to begin a plan of attack. I have some good news." she looked at Alex and pulled something out of her jacket. "I managed to get in touch with Caputo." she handed Alex a piece of paper. "His number is there on that slip. I asked him many questions and he barely had the answers to any of them, but he knew a few. He knows where Nicky is."

"Nichols? Is she okay!?" Alex lit up at her name.

"Yes… she's come out of surgery and she's healing. He saw her in the hospital a few days ago. She's as foul-mouthed and loud as ever."

"Thank god…" Alex murmured. "I don't suppose she's gonna get a compassionate release?"

"No… sadly. However, she is coming here. To us. Captuo doesn't know when but he said that all the injured inmates are coming to Max."

"That's great… we can keep an eye on her… I miss her…"

"As do I…" Red nodded. "About Piper…"

Alex stiffened.

"He has no idea where she is. He has access to all prisoners in-state, but anything beyond New York is out of his jurisdiction. He's already in pretty hot water because of the riot. Soon he might be out of a job."

"If she's not in new york then where is she?" Alex asked, frustrated.

"I don't know. If she's out of state she could be anywhere in the world by now. Caputo said he'll try to give us any information he can, but for now his hands are tied."

"Is she alive!? Did he even know that!?" Frieda rested a hand on her shoulder.

"He wasn't sure. He didn't see her name among the casualties."

"That doesn't mean she isn't brain dead or hurt or lost or scared or-" She stood up, ready to go on a rampage.

"Alex…" Red using her first name stopped her. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault…" she answered. "I knew this was gonna happen…" she sank down and buried her face in her hands. "Kubra has us by the neck…"

"Enough of this giving up hope… what would you do if you were inches from him right now?" Frieda asked.

"Id rip his fucking face off…"

"Exactly! Hold onto that rage! We can't give up yet."

"Now… we have to think about leverage here. Kubra has an outside advantage. He can bring in whoever to do whatever. What can we do to prevent that?" Red asked.

"We offer something better." Frieda answered.

"We don't have anything to offer!" said Alex.

"Do you think Kubra does? Would he really hook up someone in prison? He's not going to reward Stella… once she does the deed she will die." Red explained.

"So if we offer her whatever she's getting, but better, she'll back off… it doesn't matter, Kubra has thousands of people at his disposal. We can't one up him like that."

"We don't have to… we need to bait him for a bit… we need a distraction… before he knows it we'll have him by the balls." Frieda snarled. Alex sat quiet for a second.

"How?"

"How did he always get off the hook when he was your boss?" Red asked.

"Mishandling of evidence. Some fuck always screwed up or someone didn't have a case. He always got away somehow."

"Then this time we dont let him get away. We find a way to catch him red handed. We talk to the right people and we set up a sting. He thinks he has it all in his control and then we rip the floor out from under him."

"How do we even start?" Alex asked, eyes wide.

"My girl… you have much to learn. Follow mama." Red jumped to her feet, walking out of the room. Frieda smirked.

"I love it when she comes up with evil plans."

* * *

Piper practically skipped down the hallway in glee. Alex was _alive._ She was safe and she was okay and she was breathing and soon Piper was determined to hold her again. She was so filled with excitement she didn't even see Stella walking down the hallway. She ran right into her.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't see you there!" Stella looked annoyed before she forced a smile, and dusted herself off.

"Not a trouble… nice phone call? You look human again."

Piper grabbed her arms and smiled brightly.

"Alex. Is. Alive!" she began to laugh. "She's alive and she's okay and she's in max! She's right near where litchfield was! My mom is trying to visit her! I might get to hear from her soon… hear her voice…" Stella's world stopped.

"Hold up…" she faked excitement. "Your mom is going to see her?"

"Yeah! Piper beamed. "She's gonna tell her everything and where I am and Im gonna try to get a phone number so we can talk all the time." She sighed dreamily. "I miss her so much… quick question…" she lowered her voice. "Is phone sex in here too weird?"

Stella was reeling. If Alex spoke to Piper, then their cover would be blown. Piper would tell a guard, a guard would find Kubra and she would be killed for sure. She had one job. Keep them apart. Piper was staring at her with a mischievous grin.

"Huh? Uh… I have to go…" Piper gazed at her funny.

"Whaaat? Come on, we haven't played cards yet. I got cigs to bet withhhh" she held up a pack, dangling it over Stella's head.

"Listen blondie, I don't feel good… no cards tonight." She shoved past the taller woman, trying to walk away. Piper's arm caught her waist and she had to resist the urge to kill her right then and there.

"Stella? Are you okay?"

Stella gazed at her for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. Don't panic. Defuse. Handle it, or Kubra will… she told herself. She nodded, putting on a sad face.

"Yeah… I'm sorry love… I just really don't feel well… prison slop, y'know?" Piper nodded knowingly.

"It was the pot roast, wasn't it?"

"Ugh, yeah… listen, I have to make a phone call and then it's right to bed with me… cards tomorrow, I promise."

"Okay… but no blowing me off tomorrow ya hear?" Piper said, smirking. Stella felt her stomach turn for real. All this time with the waspy brat was making her sick.

"Yes ma'am." she winked. Piper blushed, and scurried off to do whatever it was she did most of the day. Stella didn't care. Right now, she had to find a way to cover her ass. Once past the guards, she sat down, and dialed the number she was instructed to call for updates.

"Hello." his grainy voice came through from the other side.

"H-hey boss…" she stammered. Maybe she could play this off. Kubra had eyes and ears everywhere here, so keeping it from him was the wrong idea. She had to do this right.

"Whatever it is, spit it out."

"We have a problem…"

"Oh? Our agreement had a strict no problem policy. You know what happens if we encounter problems, yeah?"

Stella gulped.

"N-no! Of course I know… uh… this one was not my fault. I literally had no control."

"I run the prison now… you have the world at your grimy little hands… but go on…"

"It's Piper… she got her mom to dig for Alex, and she knows where she is… she's gonna get them in touch, and Alex is gonna spill everything to her…"

The line was silent.

"B-boss?"

"Your only job was to keep them apart. Keep them from finding each other."

"How was I supposed to know her mom was that dedicated? Her file was buried!"

"Her mother is a WASP who stays at home all day and has nothing better to do. What did you think was gonna happen?"

"L-listen, I can fix this… please…"

"Oh, yes… you can… and you will… Piper better lose access to her phone soon. The date is coming up for you to finish the job, so leave her alive… for now."

"Yes, of course… also… I uh… about my reward?"

"You'll get it when the job is done."

"Yeah s-see you said… a certain amount up front…"

"I'll send your smack right now on a guard who'll choke you to death in a shower…"

"N-no! No! It's okay! Message received. I can wait…"

"Don't call this number again unless you have good news." The line went dead. Stella sat back, letting out a long breath. She was in deep shit unless she took away Piper's line of communication. She got up, and left the phone area, thinking the whole way to her bunk. She lay down for a few hours, mulling things over before she threw on her hoodie, and some headphones. She soon found Piper reading a book in her bed, and smiled.

"Hey… I'm feeling a bit better…. yard time?" Piper smiled, and sat up right away.

"Yes please… I need some fresh air…" she got up, putting on a hoodie of her own, and they walked down the corridors together. They were soon outside, enjoying the stars and the night breeze. A few times a month, the guards let them have rec time later on at night before lights out. It reduced fighting and boosted the moods around the place. Piper took a deep breath, gazing up at a constellation.

"Alex and I used to stare at the stars every night in Paris…." she smiled. "We would try to count them all, and she'd stop me and say I was cheating…" she stuffed her hands into her pockets. "I miss her, Stella. I hope she's doing okay." Piper looked over at her with a look of sadness and worry. Stella felt a stab in her chest, and suddenly she felt a little bit of guilt.

She hated them both with a passion, but she couldn't deny how deeply they cared for one another. She wished someone cared for her like that, but she was alone. Look out for number one, get some dope, don't worry about it. She took a deep breath.

"I'm sure she's okay…" Stella answered "Probably worried sick about her fiancee…"

"I'm worried sick too, believe me…" Piper giggled. "When I see her again i'm never letting her out of my sight…"

"I'm sure she'd like that. Listen, i'll be right back. Need a light." She slinked off, and Piper was too absorbed in the night sky to ask her any more questions. Stella made a bee line for the toughest looking dyke she'd ever seen. She was a little shorter than Piper but was jacked. Her blonde hair spiked up in the front, and she was covered in tattoos. Perfect.

Stella ran into her with all her might. The woman stumbled forward, and spun around at once, icy blue eyes seeming to be on fire. She snarled, and grabbed a fistful of Stella's jumpsuit. She gazed into her eyes.

"You better have a good fuckin' reason for testing me like that shrimp…"

Stella smirked. "Oh really? That's hilarious. That message was from my boss over there." she pointed to Piper. "She sent me over here to tell you that you look like something a dog spit up and tossed out. She thinks you're a weak bitch and she wants you out of her yard."

"Oh? Is that so?" the blonde looked over at Piper, who was still star gazing. "I've heard about her… a trouble maker…" she threw Stella to the ground with a huff. "Once I'm done with her it's your turn." The blonde marched over to Piper, face red.

Piper sighed lovingly at the stars before suddenly, she was chest to chest with an angry looking woman who reminded her of a smaller big boo. She had a fistful of Piper's jumpsuit.

"You like to talk shit, huh cutie? Put your money where your mouth is…" Piper gave her a rough shove, and she stumbled back.

"Get the fuck away from me!" Piper snapped, taking a few steps back. "I don't know you."

"The hell you don't… you're about to, bitch!" The blonde shoved her again, and Piper smirked.

"You don't know who you're messing with."

The blonde threw a punch, and broke her nose. Piper howled in pain, stumbling backwards, and holding her face. Something snapped. Her adrenaline started to fly, and she let out a scream, throwing herself onto the blonde with her fists swinging. They fell to a heap on the ground, beating the crap out of eachother. The alarm started blaring, and inmates dropped to the ground, still cheering on who they wanted to win. The guards started herding people inside, and Stella smirked, watching Piper get slammed into the ground.

Soon the guards grabbed Piper and the blonde, both were equally bloody and bruised. They both screamed, still trying to get at each other.

"Take them down to seg!" one guard yelled, and they were pulled in different directions. The blonde had to be tased, but Piper settled down, allowing herself to be dragged off. She was soon thrown in a cell that was so small it made seg at litchfield look like paradise. She leaned against the wall, her feet touching the wall in front of her, and tried to calm down. She was crying before she knew it, in pain, and terrified.

It kept getting worse.


	7. Chapter 7

**Triple upload! Im really getting a spark going here guys... I might even finish this thing tonight at this rate. I owe it to you guys after being gone so long.**

* * *

While Frieda and Red were talking about possible ideas, Alex had been called into the office. She feared the worst, as she had no idea why she would be talked to. She hadn't requested any visitors or any more people on her call list after the Kubra incident. She had thought about calling him a few times, but had failed every time. Talking to him and giving him any more details than he already had was a bad idea, red had advised. Playing into his hands and showing fear was even worse, said Freida.

"Vause?" a bored looking guard asked when she sat down, staring at a clipboard.

"Yeah… is everything okay?"

"You aren't in trouble." The guard answered, he held out the clipboard. "Do you know this woman?" Alex felt her heart skip a beat when she read the name on the list under a "Darrel Vause" (Kubra's alias, as her father). In big bold letters _CAROL CHAPMAN_ stared back at her. She smiled brightly. No way. She did it.

"Yes, that's my mother in law." she looked at the guard happily. "What is this about?"

"Does she have your permission to call and or visit?"

"Yes! Yes of course of course." the guard nodded, and handed her a pen.

"Sign here saying we spoke, and then get out of my office."

Alex signed happily, memorizing the number that was underneath her name. She practically flew out of the office, straight to the phones. She waited her turn, tapping her foot so hard she was sure she wore a hole in the floor. She dialed the number quickly, and soon a familiar voice answered.

"Hello? Piper?"

"No, Carol, it's me… it's Alex Vause."

"Alex? Oh my goodness! Hello!" Alex began to laugh, nodding.

"Hi! Hi… oh my god you have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice… Piper… is she…?"

"She's alive and very well, Alex… she's all the way in Chicago! Could you believe it?" Alex let out a breath she had been holding since she got here. It had been a month since she saw Piper in person, or heard her voice.

"She's okay…" she began to cry. "She's okay…" Carol smiled on the other side.

"Yes… and she told me to tell you she's okay and she loves you. And she misses you. She's been babbling about you ever since the riot. She's been worried sick."

" _I've_ been worried sick! Let her know that, please… and that I love her so much… and we need to talk. ASAP." she sighed. "Does she have a number I can call? Anything?"

"I'm afraid not… she told me phone time has been strict… which is what I wanted to ask you about… I spoke to Piper two weeks ago… she hasn't called me since… do you think everything is alright?"

Her hope disappeared into thin air.

"T-two weeks?"

"Yes… it's been awhile i'm afraid…" Alex was silent.

"Hello?"

"Uh… hi… i'm here… can you visit me soon? In person?"

"I suppose so. It's only proper I meet my daughter in law in person."

"Y-yeah… come friday okay? And if Piper can contact me as soon as possible, tell her to try…"

"Okay dear. I'll try to reach her."

They said their goodbyes, and hung up. Alex left feeling a mix of emotions. One, relief that Piper was alive and looking for her. Two, nausea about the fact that suddenly her line of communication with her mom had gone quiet. She began to fear the worst. She decided to tell Red and Freida later on at dinner, and settled for sinking into her bed, and burying her face in her hands. She felt like the world was sitting on her chest, and it hurt to breathe. This was going to be the longest week of her life.

* * *

A week in SHU, for a fight she didn't even start. Piper curled in on herself, gazing at the floor sadly. Once her adrenaline had worn off, full realization of her situation caught up. While she was stuck down here, time was passing above. What if her mom had found Alex? What if Alex was here? She knew it was a stretch, but she felt so isolated down here, so alone. It was driving her mad. Time passed, and it felt like years instead of days.

Soon, it was time for her to be released. Her new enemy had been moved to a different block, so Piper wouldn't see her anymore. Her injuries had been tended too, and she felt sore and sad. She missed Stella so much. She had no idea what her supposed friend had done. The guards led her back up to the top, and explained to her that her phone privileges were very limited, and she was only allowed one call today, and none for the rest of the month. She felt her heart sink. So much for talking to her mother.

She decided to use her one and only call to tell her mother what happened. She walked through the hallways sadly, until she saw a familiar face.

"Chapman!" Piper smiled and ran forward, wrapping Stella in a tight hug.

"I missed you so much… I was talking to walls… did you see what happened? How crazy!?"

"Yeah! The woman you fought is nuts… you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Are you okay love?"

"Yeah… just a little bruised up…" she rested her face on Stella's shoulder, not ready to let the embrace go yet. Stella stroked her hair.

"So what's the verdict? How much trouble you in?"

"No phone calls for a month…" Stella jumped for joy on the inside. A month was just enough time. Piper left off the fact that she got one last call today. "I'm never gonna get in touch with Alex now… it's hopeless…"

"We'll get through it, yeah?" she pulled back and smiled. "I'll figure something out. Maybe you can pretend to be me or something, use my phone."

"I could never be that short, come on…"

They shared a laugh, and Piper sighed. "I'm gonna go get a snack… can we play cards when I come back?"

"Sure thing lovey. Meet me in the rec room in ten." Stella patted her shoulder, and walked off, satisfied with herself. Piper headed for the phone room, and the guard looked at her.

"No phone calls, Chapman."

"I get one more, remember? Then i'm done for the month. I swear." The guard rolled his eyes.

"They're too nice here."

She smiled and walked past him, dialing her mother's number instantly.

Alex walked to the visitor's center, both excited and terrified. She had no idea what she was going to say to Carol, or what favors she could ask. She couldn't give her notes, because she couldn't visit Piper. In the visiting area of the block Alex was in, there were bars separating them instead of glass. It made talking a whole lot easier. She stood waiting, and soon spotted the blonde woman at a stall, looking overwhelmed. This was prison prison, not cushy, organized litchfield. She almost laughed.

She walked over to her, and took a seat.

"Hey… Carol." Carol gave her a good look over before smiling.

"Hello Alex. It's nice to meet you." Alex smiled.

"Likewise. I wish it was under better circumstances."

"True, but at least I get to see who drives Piper so crazy all the time… have you heard anything?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing… she hasn't called?"

"No… this makes three weeks now… she might have gotten herself into trouble i'm afraid…"

"Trouble always finds her." Alex murmured, a little pissed her fiancee couldn't keep it together. Under that annoyance was worry, intense worry festering at the bottom of her stomach. Piper could be buried under a prison garden, just like Aydin…

The harsh ringing of Carol's cellphone jolted her from her day dream.

"Oh! I'm sorry dear. Let me take this." Alex sighed, watching her flip the phone open. Her eyes went wide. Alex tilted her head, and Carol beckoned her to come close. She pressed her ears against the bars as Carol held the phone up to her head.

"Hello?"

"A-Alex?"

"Pipes?"

* * *

 **Uh ohhhhh... finally!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! welcome back for another chapter. Thank you for all your kind words. Writing is therapeutic for me, and since Ive given myself a kick in the ass and started again, i'm feeling a whole lot better. This was a very good choice. We're getting close to the end!**

* * *

"Piper!?" Alex almost screamed, tears running down her face.

"Alex!" Her fiancee was sobbing on the other end, and Alex felt like they were the only two people in the whole world.

"P-Pipes… jesus christ… I was so worried… I missed you so much… I thought I-"

"I love you…" the blonde woman interrupted.

"I love you too… god I love you so much… when I see you again you're sticking to my side like glue, you understand?"

"I was gonna say the same for you, Al… you're never getting alone time again."

"I don't want it… I need you with me all day, every day…" they fell into a small pause. "Are you okay? Why have you been gone for three weeks Piper?"

Carol got up to get a drink, but left Alex with the phone.

"I got jumped…" she answered. "Some crazy bitch decided to throw down with me…" she laughed a little. "We did a number on each other… are you okay? How's your arm?"

"Frieda and Red ended up here with me, so they're helping me a lot…" she felt her throat tighten. "Wait, Piper… you need to listen to me very very carefully…"

Piper nodded, and held the phone close.

"Stella is working for Kubra… He called me earlier this month and told me everything… shes going to go after you, and you have to tell someone… tell a guard, tell the warden, stay the fuck away from her…"

"No way…" Piper whispered.

"Yes, way… believe me this time. You are in very serious danger… write this number down."

Alex read off Caputo's number.

"Frieda and Red have a plan. They won't tell me much about it, but I know Caputo is in on it. You have to call him. Tell him everything. Please. He might be coming here soon to visit me… Pipes, I need you to keep calling me… letting me know youre okay…"

"They took my phone privileges away… maybe I can talk to caputo, but I cant talk to you… not for a month…"

"Pipes…"  
"I'm sorry… what do i do about Stella? Im freaked out, Al…"

"Don't blow it… act like this conversation never happened… does she know youre here?"

"She thinks im getting a snack…"

"So come back with your pockets full of chips and act happy to see her, but do not under any circumstances, let yourself end up alone with her. Do you understand?"

"Yes…"

"Im scared, Piper…"

"Me too… I just want to see you…"

"Hopefully we will, soon… Red says this is gonna put Kubra away for good… we have to play along… I trust her…"

"I do too… if anyone can nail Kubra it's Red…"

"I love you, Pipes…"

"I love you too, Alex… I have to go… my phone time is up… I'm gonna figure this out, I promise… I'm gonna be okay… trust me…"

"You better be… I love you…"

"I love you…"

"I love you too…"

Guards began shouting on Piper's end, and the line went dead. Alex gazed at Carol sadly as she came back with water. She didn't tell her about what they discussed. Red said for the plan she had in mind to work, the less people who knew, the better. The visit wrapped up soon after that, and Alex was once again back into the fray of inmates. A whole month without knowing anything of what was going on. She was terrified, and felt sick.

"Heya stranger!" a familiar voice snapped her from her thoughts.

"No fucking way…" Alex said happily, quickly turning around to face a smiling Nicky. "Get over here!"

"Oh I love it when you boss me around…" Nicky said as she sauntered over. Alex hugged her close, and Nicky closed her eyes with a sigh.

"I'm so happy you're okay… they didn't give us any updates…"

"Yeah, still alive and kicking. Unfortunately. What's wrong, kid? You don't look right…. Where's blondie?"

"Chicago…"

"Jesus christ…" Nicky spat. "Where is everyone else? Where's litchfield?"

"All over the place. Red and Freida are here, and faces I don't remember, but that's it. Piper got sent to Chicago, and things are going south…"

"What do you mean?"

"Kubra… he bribed Stella with dope and now she's gonna cut Piper's throat… apparently Red has Caputo working on some kind of sting operation but I don't know if it's gonna work… Kubra is a genius. You don't one up a kingpin…"

"Wow… the shit I miss…" Nicky shook her head. "To be honest with ya? I don't see her doing it. She's got a weak stomach and she's sensitive under all those tattoos and bullshit."

"Well if she doesn't do it, Kubra will, and she'll be next, so something tells me she's gonna move her ass a little."

"I dunno Vause, but I trust Red… can you call Piper? See what's happening?"

"No… she got her phone privileges taken away. Something tells me Stella had a hand in that…"

"Shit…. We should go let Red know. It's about time for a reunion."

"You can say that again…" Alex murmured as she followed. Nicky walked through the halls until she found the kitchen, and knocked on the wall. Red looked up. She didn't have full control, but made quick friends with the staff already, and was put in charge of inventory for now. Once she saw her daughter she lit up like a christmas tree.

"Nicky!" she cried, quickly abandoning her crossword puzzle and nearly knocking over her chair to get to her. She took Nicky into her arms at once, squeezing as tightly as only a mother could.

"Hi ma…" she leaned into Red, resting her head on her shoulder. They stayed like that for a few seconds before Red pulled back, holding her face in her hands, and kissing both of her cheeks.

"How are you? How are you feeling?"

"Been better, yknow? I'm all banged up but they put me back together." she paused. "Vause told me about the Piper situation… is that shit for real?"

"Yes… it is."

"There's an update… Piper doesn't have phone service… I got lucky and spoke to her on the phone… she's in Chicago and she's fine… Stella hasn't made a move yet."

"Doesn't mean she's not getting ready to." Red answered, stepping back from Nicky. "Did you give her Caputo's number?"

"Yes… im really worried…"

"As am I, but our plan is in stages… we're in phase one."

"Can you keep me out of the dark, please? I have a right to know." Alex began angrily. Red held up a hand, and she went quiet.

"Okay. Tonight, we meet after dinner and discuss. You'll know it all then."

* * *

Ever since the phone call, Piper had been on edge. She now knew Stella's true intentions, and was so confused on what she should do. She knew she had to try to stay away, but if Stella suspected she had been warned, it was over. She decided to try a mix of both until she could figure out a way to get in touch with Caputo later. Alex said that he had a plan, and Piper trusted him more than any of the current prison staff. What would she say? My drug boss from ten years ago found me and is using my friend to try to kill me? Insane.

Speak of the devil, she thought as Stella rounded the corner.

"There you are!" she exclaimed. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you in like two days… I was worried…"

Piper paused for a few seconds.

"I… wasn't feeling well. My stomach… is… uh… I threw up?"

She saw Stella's eyes narrow a little. Uh oh.

"Must be a bug going around…" she walked up to Piper and wrapped an arm around her waist. Piper felt herself tense. Stella didn't let that pass. "What's the matter? Tell me."

"Nothing… like I said, im just under the weather…"

"I understand… cards later? I bribed a guard with a few candy bars and we have the rec room all to ourselves for an hour… how cool?"

Piper couldn't breathe. This was most definitely it. She couldn't say no, and she couldn't say yes. She was terrified. Something in her seemed to snap. If this was coming, she might as well face it. She wouldnt go down easy.

"Sounds perfect. I'm gonna go rest beforehand, okay? Maybe do some laundry."

"Okay! It's a date." Stella winked before laughing. "Sorry, not date. You're getting married!" the way she sounded so sarcastic made Piper's blood boil. If she thought she wasn't finding her way back to Alex in one piece, she was sorely mistaken.

She had hours. After the interaction with Stella, she had gone down to the basement to try to clear her head. She paced in front of the laundry machines, trying to come up with a plan. Something, anything. She couldn't get in touch with Caputo until later on, and Stella was surely waiting for her. She wished for Alex now more than ever.

"Come on, think…." she muttered to herself, holding her face in her hands. "There has to be a way out…" she was so lost in her own grief that she didn't even hear the door behind her click shut.

"There isn't one." a familiar voice said with a laugh. She spun around, and her heart stopped as she was nearly chest to chest with Stella, a gun pointed right between her eyes. "You didn't really think I was dumb enough to kill you in a rec room, right? I mean come on, Piper… you're a smart woman!"

Piper held her hands up, backing up slowly as Stella advanced. She shook her head, tears beginning to well up. She was too late. She was about to be executed in a pile of dirty laundry. She would never see her wife again. She would never tell her she loved her. She wouldnt get to say goodbye.

"Please… you don't have to do this…"

She would never get to see Red, or Nicky, or Morello, or any of her family again. She would never see her mom finally accept her for who she was on her wedding day. She was going to lose this time.

"Actually? I kind of think I do…" Stella smirked. "Put your hands on your head and get on your knees."


	9. Chapter 9

**hello all! double upload once again! im on fire today! enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Piper felt her world stop. It really was over. She fell to her knees, and did what she was told, putting her hands on her head. She gazed sadly up at Stella.

"Oh don't give me that look, Chapman… you had to know this was coming…"

"You won't get away with this. You're gonna go away for a very long time."

"Actually, I will… Kubra is arranging for me to be on a boat to anywhere I want with enough heroin to put me into a coma for a week, sooo… yeah. I will."

"You really think he's gonna keep his word?" Piper snorted, shaking her head. "Stella the minute you kill me, he's gonna come for you."

"You don't know shit so keep your mouth shut." she snapped.

"Oh really? I don't know shit?" feeling bold, Piper began to stand up. "He was Alex's boss for most of our lives, Stella. There is no reasoning with him… I have seen first hand all of the fucked up shit he's done… he is a kingpin. Do you understand what that means?"

"It doesn't matter, so get the fuck back down!" she yelled. Piper moved closer.

"It means that he will do whatever it takes to prove a point. He wants you to kill me to get to Alex, and then he'll kill you. You're an inmate in prison who he happened to pick. You're not special to him, and he was never planning on getting you out. He's using the fact that you're desperate against you, dont you get it?"

Stella was quiet for a long time. She felt stupid. She had a suspicion that the reward was never coming, but everything Piper said put it into focus. The blonde obviously knew him better than she did, and from what she said, this wasn't good news. She felt her mind reeling. In a fit of rage, she slammed the gun into Piper's face, and sent the taller woman to the floor.

"Shut the fuck up!" Piper groaned in pain, holding her head. Blood gushed from a cut above her eye. She rolled onto her side, drawing in a sharp breath, but continuing.

"You know I'm right, Stella… come on…" Stella walked to the doorway, holding her own head.

"It doesn't matter… I'm still putting a bullet in your head…" she suddenly marched over, and pressed the gun to Piper's forehead. "I'll do that, and i'll escape… i'll go from there."

Despite the gravity of the situation, Piper began to laugh.

"Really? You'll escape? There's no such thing with him, Stella… Alex and I have been running for years… we're in prison… surrounded by guards and fences and guns, and we're not safe… Alex could change her name, fake her death, and disappear off the face of the fucking earth and it still wouldn't be over… and she worked for him! he actually kind of liked her! what makes you think you'll get out of this so easy?"

Stella's eyes glazed over, and she took a few steps back.

"There has to be something I can do!"

"There isn't!" Piper snapped. "You should have never answered his calls or his letters or his attempt to reach you! You just opened a can of worms you won't ever close, believe that. Kill me if you want, but your nightmare is just beginning."

Stella put the gun into her waistband, and sat down in a chair, watching Piper, defeated. Piper rolled into a sitting position, trying to get some blood out of her eye.

"Im fucked…" Stella spoke out loud. "Im royally fucking fucked…"

"Yeah, you are." Piper stated, smirking. Stella glared at her. "Or youre not."

Stella looked up at once.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, nothing."

Stella moved in closer.

"What were you going to do before the rec room?" she grabbed the front of Piper's jumpsuit. "Tell me. Now."

"Well… promise not to kill me first."

"No."

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Then I'm not talking."

"Then i'll shoot you in the head."

"Then you'll die too and have no plan."

"Ugh! Fine!" Stella let her shirt go, stepping back. "Good lord how does Vause deal with you? You're so annoying!"

"I've been told. Anyway, I was gonna find a way to call Caputo… Alex told me that he and Red have been speaking. He knows the situation with Kubra, and he's gonna set something up to catch him red-handed…"

"Okay, so we get Kubra, then what? He can just get us somehow anyway."

"I honestly think if we catch Kubra, one of the most powerful drug lords in the world, they'll give you some pretty nice perks… years off your sentence, an early release… the possibilities are endless."

Stella narrowed her eyes.

"How am I supposed to trust you? Last time I even made an agreement with you, you ruined my life…" she growled, taking the gun out again. Piper got to her feet quickly, and Stella began to back her against the wall, cold muzzle pressed to her chest. "You sent me down to max to rot… and you got to stay with everyone and be happy in your own fucked up little world…"

Piper swallowed hard and held her hands up again. Stella pressed the gun to her chest harder.

"You really don't think I paid for my mistakes?" she slowly rolled down her sleeve, showing Stella the grotesque window that had been burned into her flesh. "I had to go through this twice…. I lost sleep, I barely ate… I was paranoid for weeks. I lost everyone. I suffered alone. Stella for what it's worth I am so sorry for what I did…."

"Sorry doesn't get me out of this shithole…"

"No, but this plan could… I mean I cant trust you either, but do I have a choice?" she looked into her eyes. "You could get an early release for this… you could be done with this place. I promise you i'm not that fucked up person you met a while back… and if I get offered any time off my sentence, or a release… i'm gonna turn it down." Stella froze.

"Yeah right… you're full of shit."

"Swear on my mother's life." she held her hand out. "No matter how good the deal is, ill say no, and give it to you instead. I need to pay for what I did, and serve my time. I only wish I could give Ruiz something, too." Stella watched her for a few seconds before letting out a sigh, and shaking her hand.

"Okay… I suppose we can't really do anything else." she lowered the gun, tucking it back into her waistband. "So what the hell are we supposed to do? If he's got us on all sides, how good can this plan possibly be?"

"I don't know… I have to get to a phone to talk to Caputo. We weren't expecting you to change sides…"

"Yeah, well… I kind of like this whole being alive thing…"

"Kubra is relentless, but if there's one thing he's all about, it's proving a point." Piper began. She sat down, thinking. "Are you able to call him?"

"Only in case of good news…" Stella said, rolling her eyes. Piper smiled.

"Well, I think we have some… I need you to call him as soon as you can while I talk to Caputo."

* * *

Red, Nicky, Alex, and Freida sat in a secret meeting place, staring at each other. Since Alex had begged to be told the plan, Red finally decided to take her out of the dark.

"So I'm going to be frank here. The idea is we're setting a trap for Kubra and we're going to be using Piper as bait."

"Wait, what?" Alex asked angrily. "No the fuck we're not."

"Caputo thought of everything, Vause… she won't be in harm's way."

"You just said she's bait."

"He isn't gonna bite the bait, dummy." Freida said.

"What do you mean he?"

"We're trying to get Kubra himself into the prison."

Alex nearly fell off her seat.

"No fucking way! No!" Freida looked at her angrily.

"Do you want him caught or not?"

"You are not putting that fucking psycho in the same prison as my fiancee when I already have no way of knowing what's going on with her. No way in hell!"

"Would you keep your voice down!?" Red snapped. "You're going to ruin it before it starts!"

"Oh, I intend to… I'm gonna tell whatever guard I can about this. This shit isn't gonna fly…" she rose to her feet before she was suddenly chest to chest with Frieda.

"You walk out that door and you'll have a knife in your back, sweetheart…."

"Are you serious? Move over."

"I mean it, Vause…" she suddenly pulled a shiv from her bra. Alex's eyes went wide and she started to back off. "This ain't your mess anymore. If you say something, me, Red, and Nicky go down too… and I don't like you enough to allow that…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Nicky yelled, getting between them. "There ain't a need for this shit! Come on!" she glared at Freida. "Put that thing away, Chucky… jesus christ…"

Red stood up too. "Freida, now." She groaned, and tucked it away before sinking down.

"I don't like rats."

"She's scared. I don't blame her. How do we know this is gonna work?" Nicky asked.

"We don't…" Red murmured. "But we don't have any other options. Time is running out." Alex shook her head, but sat back down.

"Okay… by some miracle you get him into the prison without getting Piper slaughtered… then what?"

"He's going to want to watch Stella do the job." Freida spoke again. "That, or do it himself. Caputo has guards stick to them like glue, let it go on long enough to catch them in the act, and then we have him."

"What if those guards are too late? What if one of them is in on it?" Alex asked anxiously.

"We have to take the chance. It's all we have." Red answered.

"I don't like this… I don't like this at all…" she took a sip of water Red had placed out.

"Me either, but it's happening tomorrow either way, so we just have to favor the odds…"

Alex spit the water in her mouth out all over Nicky, who cursed and tried to wipe herself off.

"I'm sorry, what!?"

* * *

Piper sat under a guard's desk with the lights off, and popped up to grab the phone. She looked over at Stella.

"Are we clear?" Stella opened the door slowly, and looked out in both directions, nodding before closing it quietly.

"For now, but we have at most fifteen minutes before tubby comes back… hurry it up." Piper nodded, dialing the number Alex had given her. It rang a few times before a familiar voice answered.

"Caputo."

"Mister Caputo? It's Piper Chapman…."

"Piper!?" he sounded like he jumped from his desk. She heard a door slam shut and his voice lower. "Are you alright? I've been talking to Red… she and I have the plan all set… where's the girl that's after you?"

Piper laughed a little. "That's what i'm calling to tell you, actually. She's right here with me… she uh… changed sides."

"You're kidding… that's amazing… are you sure you can trust her?"

"No, but Kubra isn't exactly waiting for her with a reward, soooo… she's with us. For now. I have an idea to add to whatever plan you guys were going with."

"Let's hear it. I have a few detectives with me on this case… if we really nail this guy, it means good news for everyone… hes wanted everywhere, for everything."

"About that…" piper murmured. "I want to ask you for something." she heard Caputo sigh.

"That is?"

"I don't want an early release, or any time taken off my sentence. All I want is to be where Alex is."

"What? You'd go to max?"

"As long as I have her mister Caputo, you could put me in the SHU for the rest of my life. I want to get out the same time she does. Until then, I go wherever she goes."

"Well that part will happen. Everyone from the pool is getting an extended sentence… I supposed I can pull some strings. You two will be together soon."

"Thank you…." she nodded. "Now about my idea. Stella has contact with Kubra all the time. She can call him whenever. What if we had her play it up so Chicago was a joke and he could come see me killed himself? We get the guards to approve whatever fake name he makes, whatever profile he creates… and he'll be in custody before he knows it."

"That's a pretty bold move, Chapman… but you realize you'll have to put on quite a show for him to believe you… you might even have to get a little hurt."

"If it means putting him away forever, for Alex to finally be safe, i'll do it."

"Okay Chapman… if you say so… i'm going to have one of the guards there approve your phone use. You are to call me and only me until this thing blows over, do you understand?" Piper nodded.

"Yes… Stella is gonna call him right after you, get him all riled up and hopefully he'll be here soon. Tomorrow probably."

"We have eyes on him everywhere. Keep us updated and we'll do the same for you."

"Thank you, Mister Caputo…"

"No, thank you… you're doing the right thing by cooperating, and you're putting yourself in great danger. It wont go in vain, I promise you." Piper ended the call, and looked up at Stella.

"Call Kubra. Now." Stella moved to the chair and Piper kept watch. She dialed his number and he answered right away.

"Speak."

"Hey boss, it's me."

"Oh? I suppose you have good news for me. We had a pretty good understanding with our last conversation if I remember correctly."

"That I do… I have her tied up in the basement… I was about to do it, but then I thought of a great idea."

"The plan was to kill her quickly, but go ahead."

"You could sneak in here like that one other guy did and watch. Take pictures, somehow send them to Alex… I could tape them up in her bunk… make it really sink in, y'know?"

"Are you out of your fucking mind? I'm really gonna come there in person? No way."

"You own the place, don't you?" she looked at Piper with worry. "You could be in and out. Hell, you could even do it yourself… record the whole thing for Alex to see… to be honest with you, I don't think it should be my honor…"

"I'll think on it. I must say, you're one sick little fuck. I might have plans for you yet once you're out."

"Can you let me know by tonight? If not I'm just gonna do it and make it look like a gross accident or some shit."

"Yeah, yeah… call me back around nine. I'll have my verdict by then. Good job."

"Thanks boss… talk later." She hung up, and looked over at Piper. "I really think he's gonna do it… but I have one more trick up my sleeve." she got up, grabbing Piper's hand. "Come on, lets go…"

* * *

 **Before I wrote the last section I figured something like Kubra going into the prison was fucking ridiculous and stupid and would never happen in canon. Then I remembered after I read a fan-fic for post season three where everyone helped Alex cut up Aydin and hide the body and thought "yeah, like that would EVER happen in the show..." and it did. lmfao... so yeah. Most ideas to me aren't way out in space anymore. It'll be written well! we're headed for the end, guys! buckle up!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey all, Kris here. I apologize for the break in the double upload cycle. yesterday was a very very very bad day and I couldnt write. However, im back now. The next chapter is the end! thank you all for sticking with this journey and giving me all this support. It means more than you know. Every nice review brings a smile to my face. This one is a little fast paced, it is the climax after all. Happy reading!**

* * *

Alex lay in her bunk, staring up at the ceiling. So many thoughts were flying through her mind that it was hard to process any of them. She thought of Piper, the brave and stupid thing she was doing by agreeing to be Kubra's bait, and how much she missed her. She knew things could very well go south and she replayed that phone call in her mind over and over. Piper said she had things under control but did she really? The blonde knew how to lie and she damn sure did it well.

What would happen if the plan worked? She doubted Piper would get to come back. Litchfield was done and whether or not a new prison was on the table wasn't clear. She could have the man who had been terrorizing her life killed and handed to authorities on a silver platter and it still could mean nothing for them. She was an inmate in prison, and she didn't have a say. She wondered what would become of Piper if she got released first. Would she wait? Would she move on? Would they ever find eachother again?

"Hey, Vause." Nicky's voice cut through her thoughts. "You've been in here like a fuckin' zombie all day. Why don't you come outside?"

"I'm scared, Nicky…" She whispered, sitting up. Nicky walked into her cell, and clambered up onto the bunk beside her, leaning against the wall. She let out a sigh.

"I know, kid…. But we gotta try."

"You're right. You're right, and red is right, and so is Frieda… but what if this is all for nothing? They're not gonna let Piper come back to me.. What if I never see her again?"

"Are you kidding me?" Nicky asked with a laugh. "No offense, but Chapman is a psycho when it comes to you… even if worst case you two don't see eachother now, the minute you're out she'll track you down and hang on like a squid…" that made Alex laugh. She knew how Piper was with a cause. Nicky was right.

"Thanks, Nichols… you always know what to say."

"I try my best… talking usually isn't my forte if you know what I mean…" she held up her two fingers, wiggling her tongue between them and winking. Alex rolled her eyes and smacked her shoulder. They fell into a comfortable silence.

"... Do you think she's happy now?" Alex looked over at her best friend who seemed to be lost in her own world. Her eyes were far away and she looked defeated. "Lorna, I mean…"

"I don't know…" Alex answered. She wrapped an arm around Nicky's shoulders, rubbing her back gently. "I really don't think she knows what she wants. I know she loves you, and I know she's nuts."

"It's tearing me up inside, y'know?" she crossed her arms, huffing. "If I wasn't stuck in this shithole, and we met outside, would it be different? If I could give her a fuckin' fancy ring and a house and babies would she love me more?" she looked up at the ceiling. "I couldn't make her happy like he did."

Alex pulled her close.

"Don't talk like that. You'd make anyone the happiest person in the world… you gave up so much. You kept her safe when this shit went down."

"She's everything to me…." Nicky's voice broke. "She was the first person to ever make me feel like I was always on top. Like I wasn't a huge fuck up. Like I could do anything."

"You're a good person, Nicky…. You need to give yourself more credit. You've been through so much. You can get through this, too… you're gonna be happy. I'll make sure of it…" Nicky looked at Alex with tearful eyes for a few seconds before pulling her into a tight hug.

"I love you, you pussy eating skyscraper…" Alex held her back, smiling and laughing a little. "Youre too good for this fuckin' place… don't you ever leave my life, you understand?"

"You're my best friend, Nichols… I'm not going anywhere." They stayed in each other's arms quietly, their eyes closed, letting the anticipation and worry of what was to come hang in the air.

* * *

The clock struck nine, and Piper tapped her foot impatiently against the door of the guard's office, keeping watch as Stella dialed Kubra's number. She spoke to the man quietly, and Piper gazed off into space, not really caring to hear the conversation. She already knew the man would probably show up, ready to watch her life be taken, or try to do it himself. She thought about Alex and all of their memories together. She wondered if she would ever get to have more.

She made a lot of mistakes in her life, and she was filled with regret about each one. She wished she never left in Paris. She wished she never called Polly. She wished Alex was far from this place, safe. She wished Alex had never met her. She was a mess.

"Right, Piper?"

Stella's voice cut through her thoughts.

"Huh?" Stella rolled her eyes.

"While you were daydreaming I got shit done… I convinced Kubra to come here… he's on his way as we speak… tomorrow, or tomorrow night it's going down." Piper swallowed, sitting up.

"What do we have to do?"

"We need you tied up." Piper quirked a brow. "Not like that, you fuckin pervert… though you wouldn't look half bad…" Piper held up her ring finger, pointing with a nasty glare. Stella rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah… I know."

The rest of the night passed slowly, endlessly. Piper had called Caputo, briefing him about the situation, and he said that two of his detectives were arriving in Chicago first thing in the morning to handle things. Kubra would no doubt be trying to enter the prison soon. They had to be prepared.

"Good luck, Chapman. I don't know what's gonna happen here…"

"Whatever it is i'll handle it."

"You don't have to do this… we can find some other way… if you want to back out I suggest you do it now."

"He'll see right through it…" Piper answered. "Stella and I are gonna set me up in the laundry room downstairs… have your detectives close by… once you hear me screaming for help that's the signal."

"Got it… stay safe."

"We still have a deal? I don't expect you to go back on your word…"

"Of course… get through this and you'll see Vause the day after tomorrow." That made Piper smile.

"Okay. I'll see you soon."

She hung up the phone, and looked over at Stella.

"Are you ready to do this?" Stella nodded.

"We don't have a choice… I just hope this works. We're in too deep to fuck up now…"

"Tell me about it…"

They parted ways for the night, and Piper let another few hours of restless sleep take her. She couldn't stop the nightmares from coming. Visions of Alex being killed, hurt, or maimed tortured her. She saw one dream where her and Alex had never met, and the tall woman was doing just fine. That one made her wake up in a cold sweat. She sighed, looking at the clock. She decided to wake up and start the waiting game.

Soon it was afternoon. Stella and her were playing cards, trying to pass the time when the brunette happened to glance out the rec room window. Her face dropped. Piper looked at her in question before she turned her gaze and her blood ran cold. Sure enough, there was Kubra, being walked around in a guard's uniform, touring the prison.

"Fuck!" Stella cried, grabbing Piper's wrist roughly. "Come on come on come on!" she yelled, dragging the blonde out of the room quickly.

They took the steps two at a time, until they found themselves in the basement. Stella ducked behind a washer, and took out the rope they had stored. Piper sat up, holding her hands out.

"Make it realistic…" Piper began but yelped when Stella pulled too tight. "Ow! I can't move…"

"That's the point, genius…" She continued her work, and soon Piper was sitting up, hands and feet bound tightly. However, something was off. She looked too in tact. Stella sighed.

"What?" Piper asked.

"You're gonna hate me for this…"

"What are you gonna do…?"

"I'm so sorry…"

"Stella, DONT-" Stella reeled back, and with one swing, Piper's jaw gave a SNAP and she was out cold on the floor, black eye already forming. Stella messed up her blonde hair a little bit too.

"Sorry, sweetheart… we gotta sell it…" She dragged Piper's limp body to the corner, and threw a dark blanket over her so she wouldnt be discovered yet. She turned and fled from the room in hopes of hunting down Kubra.

"... She's not awake."

"... in here for days…"

"... beat up…"

Piper's head was pounding. Her vision was blurry and her world spun. She let out a small groan, resting her head on the cold floor. The blanket had been removed, and here she was, laying down helpless, two figures leaning over her. She tried her hardest to focus, but this was impossible…

"You did a number on her. She cant even fucking sit up." Kubra's cold voice chilled her to the bone. She had to wake up, she had to yell…

"What can I say? I hate blondes." Kubra laughed.

"Let's get her to come to. I want her to be awake for this." Piper heard the click of a cell phone camera. "Pictures for Vause…"

Stella leaned down, and gave Piper a hard slap to the face. Piper cried out in pain, and her head began to cloud again. Kubra pulled out a water bottle and stepped close.

"Hello, my good little girl…" he snarled, grabbing her by the chin and dumping the water on her face and up her nose. Piper sputtered and coughed, squirming into a sitting position, trying to breathe. She was up now. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

Piper put on her best face of shock and hurt. "Wh-what? Where am I?" she scooted back a little. "K-Kubra? How are you h-here!?" she glared at Stella. "You have no idea how much you fucked up!"

Stella snorted. "Yeah, yeah… always have a mouth before they die."

Kubra tilted his head. "Oh, I was in town… decided to pay a visit… you see, your little gal pal owes me a lot… for getting herself thrown in prison, for naming me… for taking out one of my best men…"

"It was me. I killed Aydin." Piper lied. If she was to die if the plan failed, she wanted to go out protecting Alex. Kubra threw his head back and laughed.

"Come on, Piper…" he narrowed his eyes. "I'm a little insulted! You think I'm that dumb?" he moved in close, tracing her jaw. "I know you were preoccupied with my friend, here…" She let her eyes cast to the ground in shame. That stung. "Little fucked up if you ask me…" he struck a pose, making his voice higher. "Oh, Pipes! He's coming for me! Please… you have to listen!"

Piper wanted to die more than ever.

"Fuck you."

"But you didn't listen, did you? Now i'll tell you who's fucked…" he smirked "You…. and Vause… always and forever."

"You won't get away with this… they're gonna find you…" Piper snapped, eyes wild. Kubra smirked.

"Yeah, right… I own this prison, bitch… I own the whole fuckin world! And i'm gonna kill you, and Alex, and anyone else I want! And i'll get away with it!" he threw a punch, landing in the same spot Stella's did. Piper grunted in pain. She mustered up all her strength.

"Should you do the honors, or me?" Kubra said as he snapped pictures of Piper's bleeding and bruised face. "Im getting bored."

"Pleasure's all yours, boss…" Stella said with a smile, offering him the gun. He shook his head.

"I have something of my own… I want it to hurt…" Piper gulped as he pulled out what looked like a dull and rusty pocket knife. "It's gonna take awhile, but some things can't be rushed… that stupid fucking guard up top thinks i'm doing computer work…"

It was now or never. She drew in a quick breath and began to wail.

"HELP!" she screamed, thrashing around as Kubra's knife was brought closer to her. "SOMEBODY! HELP ME!" Kubra began to laugh.

"She's got a fucking set of lungs, huh!?" he turned back to Stella. "It's hilarious!" Stella moved in beside Kubra.

"Scream all you want! Nobody can hear your stupid ass!" when Kubra's back was turned, her face became worried. Help hadn't come yet.

Piper noticed this too, and was beginning to get a bit more desperate.

"PLEASE!" she begged. "HELP ME!" Kubra reared his hand back, and swung downwards. Blood spattered the wall as he made a deep and nasty gash in Piper's cheek. She cried out in agony, her back falling against the wall.

"Maybe we should cut that tongue out next…" he growled, raising his hand again.

"HANDS ON YOUR HEAD, ON THE GROUND NOW!" a voice startled them all as it boomed through the cement room. Piper let out a strangled sigh of relief. Kubra turned around, eyes wide as six officers poured in, assault rifles pointed at the ready.

"No fucking way…" he snapped, his eyes quickly going to Stella. "You fucking useless backstabbing junkie!"

"Don't hate the player, hate the game big guy…" Stella said with a smirk, holding her gun up towards him.

"INMATE, DROP THE WEAPON, ON THE GROUND!" Stella whipped around to face the guards, and she suddenly looked like she was in a panic.

"I better get my early release… you promise me that and i'll drop the gun!"

"INMATE! ON. THE. GROUND."

"Stella, what are you doing!?" Piper exclaimed. "Talk to them later, come on!"

"I'm not going back out to that shithole…" she growled. "I want my release or someone is getting a bullet to the head!" she suddenly lunged down, grabbing a hold of Piper. "Truce over!"

"RELEASE HER OR WE'LL SHOOT!" a guard yelled. Stella smirked.

"Do it! She's my shield! Let's talk…" one detective shoved through the mix, and held his hands up.

"Listen… let the girl go. We can talk, okay?" he looked at the other guards. "Weapons down." The guards slowly lowered the guns. "Let the girl go."

Stella glared at them for a few seconds before throwing Piper to the ground beside her. Piper gasped in pain.

"You aren't gonna give me what I want… so if i'm going down, at least one of you pigs is coming with me…" Piper tensed.

"STELLA, NO!" but it was too late.

She raised her weapon at the detective and pulled the trigger. The man fell to the ground, dead.

The next few minutes were pure chaos, and everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

All guards opened fire at once, and Piper's eyes went wide as she watched Stella's body get torn apart and jerked around by a spray of bullets. The brunette fell to the ground in a bloody heap beside her, and Piper let out a cry of anguish. Her eyes filled with tears. This wasn't supposed to happen. Despite everything, Stella didn't deserve to die. She started to squirm, trying to get away from the blood and carnage and gun fire. She felt her chest caving in, and she couldn't breathe.

Once the dust settled, and everything was secured, their radios exploded to life, reporting everything that had went down. Piper, who was on the verge of a panic attack, was picked up by officers out of the blood. She watched Kubra being led out first in cuffs, and he was staring daggers at her.

"You're gonna die, you hear me!?" he screamed. "You know i'll get out! You know this isn't over! You tell Vause for me!" Piper watched his figure disappearing. She felt sick. She was being draped over a guard's shoulder. She watched their bloody footprints carry down the hall, and as all of the events caught up with her, her head went slack and her world dark.

* * *

 **Side note: I was always planning on making Stella a loose canon, but this seemed right to me. RIP. Her death plays a major roll in the next chapter, I promise. See you there! thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello, All. Kris here :) I apologize for the Hiatus with this one! I'm not dead I promise! ive just been very very very busy. I got a full time job recently that just started along with my part time job, so ive been at work pretty much 12 hours a day, 5-6 days a week. It's rough. Im saving up money, trying to get myself in order and my life on track, and since I usually write when im feeling down and out, its almost a good sign that I havent been around. Not for you guys, but for me. I was thinking a lot about this story, and I had abandoned it once. I got it back on track, and with one chapter left, I didnt want to leave you guys hanging again. So here we go! chapter 11. The end. Thank you all for taking this journey with me. It feels so amazing to complete a piece of art, even if it's a writing piece. I love you all dearly and your support means the absolute world to me. Thank you for the kind words and for believing in me. Thank you for commenting every now and then, reminding me that this story was waiting to be finished, and I had a job to do. It motivated me to get off my ass and do it.**

 **With everything else being said, I have a bit of sad news. Due to my very busy new schedule, im gonna be taking a break from fanfiction for awhile. I wont be gone forever, not at all, but it's gonna be awhile before you guys read another one of these bold blurbs again. I need time to find me, to get my shit together, and to really focus on what I want and how to get there. The passion just isnt in me right now, and I had just enough left to churn out this last chapter which I owe you guys. I'm not really sure when ill be back, but I hope I can return soon enough to make you guys happy again. With all that out of the way, Enjoy the last chapter!**

* * *

Alex sat in a small rec room with Red, Nicky, and Frieda. Frieda and Red were playing cards amongst themselves, and Nicky was trying her best to crack jokes and alleviate some of the tension in the room. It wasn't working too well. Alex had been staring through the TV since they took a seat. The line of communication between Red and Caputo had gone quiet since last night, and that alone was scaring the shit out of her.

"Give Chapman some more credit, huh?" Nicky said, pushing Alex's arm gently. "I'm sure everything is fine. Caputo cant talk to us every day… right, ma?" She looked to Red for help. Red nodded.

"She's right. He's risking a lot by even involving so many of us in this mess…"

"Something isn't right." Alex said, her stomach doing flips as she spoke. "I just… I know it…"

"No news is good news." Frieda stated, putting a card down on the table. "Leave it at that and shut up."

Alex glared at the older woman for a long time before she got to her feet. She pushed her chair in forcefully, and was about to leave the rec room when suddenly, the sound of the TV blaring a little louder stopped her in her tracks. One of the inmates had changed it to the news for a second.

"That's right bill, and this just in from Chicago, bloodshed behind bars." Alex stopped dead in her tracks. Nicky caught her eyes cautiously, and they both turned their attention to the screen. "Late last night authorities reported a death of a female inmate. No names have been recorded at this time-" Suddenly, the CO in charge of the break room shut off the TV quickly, ignoring the jeers and shouts of disapproval coming from the masses.

"Hey!" Alex yelled. "Put that back on!" the CO glared at her.

"How'd you like a shot?" she continued their staring contest until Nicky grabbed her arm.

"Vause…" she warned.

"You don't think…?" Red whispered, looking at Freida with worry.

"I dunno, but I wouldn't put all your eggs in one basket. People get killed in prison all the time… could be anybody."

"I knew this was a bad idea… and this fucking moron wont put the TV on so I can find out what happened!" hissed Alex, moving for the remote. The CO finally lost her patience, and grabbed Alex's arm roughly.

"I said TV time was over! Now unless you want three shots, no dinner, and to be scrubbing toilets for the rest of your sentence, get lost."

Nicky began to pull her away, nodding.

"No thank you, we'll take the get lost option…" she lowered her voice into a growl as she tugged Alex out of the room. "Are you fuckin crazy!? Drop it!" Red and Freida followed them out slowly.

"What the fuck was that about? What happened?" Alex pressed once they were out of earshot, almost backing Red into a wall. The Russian showed no fear, keeping her gaze level.

"I know as much as you, Vause. Caputo cut our lines last night. I'm not to contact him until he contacts us." Her eyes were sad. "There is nothing I have for you."

"We don't know it's her, yet." Freida said. "There could have been a riot, someone stole someone else's snickers bar… bitches in prison are in prison for a reason. Everyone is batshit."

"Yeah, thanks… that's gonna help me sleep tonight." Alex said with a smirk, rolling her eyes. "Who else could it be? A woman just so happens to die the night we send my crazy ex-drug lord boss in for a set up?" she turned around. "Forget it. Obviously i'm crazy again, right?" she stormed off. Red watched her go, and Nicky stepped forward.

"I'll take care of it, Ma." she answered, running off in the direction Alex went.

"I hope to god it isn't her…" Red whispered, shaking her head. "This prison has taken one too many of my children… my family."

"If it is… I hope she put up a hell of a fight." Freida responded.

* * *

Piper wasn't sure when her vision stopped swimming or the world stopped being dark. When she came to, still covered in Stella's blood, she was handcuffed tightly, and she was… rattling?

She tried harder to focus. She heard a variety of noises, voices, sounds, thumps, a roar of an engine. The shaking of the glass pane. Bus. She was on a bus. She slowly sat up with a groan, the rattling stopping once she removed her temple from the window. It was night time, and hard to tell where she was, or what was going on, but she felt as if she'd been out for awhile.

She was suddenly aware of a presence beside her, and a chubby spanish woman sat a few inches from her, giving her a weird look.

"Oh, you ain't dead?" Piper sighed, trying to figure out how to talk, how to be a person. The past few hours had been a nightmare. Her heart ached for Stella. She wouldnt get a proper funeral, or get to live the life she wanted. It was all her fault.

"Unfortunately, no…" she looked back out at the fast moving world around them. "Where are we headed?"

"New York… to the max facility I think? Not too sure but the guards have some loud voices." Piper felt herself get three times lighter. Max? She was going to max? Alex was in max! Caputo had kept his promise after all. She felt like she was going to cry.

"Thank god…" she whispered, her eyes welling up. "Thank god… Thank god… Thank god…"

"What are you, a jesus freak? Damn…" the spanish woman said, turning away in disgust. Piper snorted with laughter, not even caring. The sight of the approaching airport made her cry even harder. It was happening. She was going back to her Alex. She was going _home._

* * *

The next day, Alex and Nicky sat across from each other in the library. They read silently, but yesterday after Alex had run off, Nicky had tried to talk to her with no avail. Alex had chased her away, demanding space, but after feeling guilty, she promised to meet Nicky in the library to talk things out.

"You gonna tell me what's going on in that pretty head of yours?"

"Are you hitting on me?"

"You wish." Nicky said, winking. They shared a laugh before her face turned solemn. "No, but… for real… you okay, kid?" Alex sighed, pushing her glasses up to the top of her head.

"I'm worried, Nicky." her eyes were wet. "I haven't been this afraid since that christmas play… all that blood… not knowing… I know I haven't heard enough to make assumptions yet but right now my brain is going a hundred miles an hour and i'm trying to catch it."

"You gotta give her more credit, Vause…" Nicky replied, wrapping her arms around her best friend. "Maybe gangsta Piper kicked in and she was able to sort shit out in time." Alex snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Gangsta Piper… don't even get me fucking started…"

"Piper Pussy riot Chapman strikes again…" they laughed some more. "Listen, im just saying, let's not make any crazy assumptions until we get that call from Caputo… he's probably under a massive storm of shit trying to keep us from getting caught in the Kubra business."

"Good point." Alex said, and Nicky got to her feet.

"I always make good points. Now come on… lets get some food and try to get through the day, huh? I'm worried sick too, but it's nothing a meal won't fix."

"You trying to make me feel worse? The food? Here?" they continued on towards the cafeteria. The rest of the day passed by without any incident. Nicky and Alex spent most of the day playing cards, talking, and passing time. Around dinner time, they walked towards the kitchen where Red was holed up to find her office empty.

"Where's she at? She knows it's time to eat, right?" Nicky questioned, and Alex looked around. Suddenly, the small Russian woman burst around the corner, out of breath.

"Alex!" she yelled. "Nicky! Quickly!" Nicky ran over to her, grabbing her arms.

"Easy, Ma… easy… what's wrong? What happened?"

"Chapman!" she cried. "Chapman! Hallway!" Alex felt her face break into a huge smile, and the weight lift from her shoulders. Without another word, she took off running down the corridor, turning a corner, and barreling right into Piper, who seemed just as excited and eager to see her.

"Alex!" Piper cried, grabbing a hold of her fiance and yanking her into her arms, beginning to laugh and cry at the same time. "Alex, Alex…" she gasped, sobbing into her shoulder. Alex returned the hold, kissing her head, her face, her neck, and squeezing her tight.

"Pipes…" she whispered, choking up. "You're okay… you're alive… we saw the news… we thought…"

"It was Stella…" Piper whimpered, shaking her head. "She was gonna be on our side, but they wouldn't reduce her sentence… they wouldn't give her anything out of it… she picked a battle with an angry guard and lost…"

"Holy shit…" Nicky said, looking kind of lost. "You're fucking kidding me, right?" Red moved beside her, pulling her into a hug. Nicky let out a small sigh, resting her head on her mother's shoulder. "I just talked to her… she wasnt the best but she didn't deserve to die…"

"Nobody does." Red replied, stroking her back. "This place takes one too many."

"Im so happy to see you…" Piper said to Alex in a hushed voice, resting their foreheads together. "I missed you so much… im so glad youre okay…"

"Me too, kid…" Alex murmured, her voice tight. "You have no idea how worried I was…" Piper kissed her hands, smiling at her lovingly. Alex reached up, grabbing a hold of her face, and capturing her lips in a deep kiss. They stayed that way for a few seconds before breaking, looking as lovesick and as happy as ever.

"How's your arm?" Piper asked, reaching for it and checking it over. Alex smiled a little.

"Sore, but better. I had to have it reset because it wasnt healing right at first… a cast gets you the wrong kind of attention in here."

"Who was bothering you? Give me names… ill crack some bitches open."

"Easy there, gagsta Piper…" Nicky joked, still leaning on Red. "We're together now but we aint no panty party."

"Ass doctor and soup, right?" Alex whispered, wrapping her arms around Piper's waist and pulling her close. Piper leaned into her touch, giving a tearful nod.

"Always and forever, with my wife…" Alex smiled.

"Sounds perfect."

* * *

 **Our ladies got a happy ending. With that, I bid you all farewell for now. See you soon enough. Kris signing off. xoxox.**


End file.
